HEALTH

Contraceptives

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of contraception provision his Department estimates will be provided by general practitioners through the GP contract under his proposals for the public health service.

Anne Milton: The Department's estimate is that general practitioners currently provide around 75%, of all contraception in England. The majority of this is through the national general practitioner contract and it also includes any locally commissioned provision by primary care trusts (PCTs). We expect no change in the proportion of contraception provided through the national general practitioner contract as a result of our proposals for improving public health. Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill responsibility for decisions on locally commissioned contraceptive provision outside the national general practitioner contract moves from PCTs to local authorities from 1 April 2013.

Diabetes: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent the onset of diabetes in young people.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 771W.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition of domestic violence his Department uses; and whether there are any qualifications of that definition in respect of particular services and processes for which his Department is responsible.

Anne Milton: The current cross-Government definition defines domestic violence as:
	“any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional(1)) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality”.
	(1) Recognises Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriage and so-called 'honour-crimes'. Adult is any person aged 18 and over family members are: mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister and grandparents; directly-related, in-laws or step-family.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent health tourism.

Anne Milton: Overseas visitors to the United Kingdom are charged for national health service hospital treatment unless an exemption applies under Regulations. These Regulations and accompanying guidance for the NHS were updated and simplified on 1 August 2011. Changes to immigration rules are expected to come into force on 31 October 2011 that will allow the UK Border Agency to refuse entry or extension of stay to visitors with an unpaid debt to the NHS of £1,000 or more.
	The Government are reviewing the rules and practices on access to the NHS by overseas visitors. This work includes how to establish more effective and efficient processes across the NHS to identify those who must pay for NHS treatment and make and recover charges from them, including those who specifically come to the UK trying to obtain NHS treatment without charge.

Influenza: Vaccination

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the conclusions of the Health Protection Agency's study on the cost-effectiveness of extending influenza vaccination to (a) healthy children between six months and five years of age and (b) other healthy people to be published.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency intends to submit the study for publication in peer-reviewed scientific literature as soon as it can.

Ipswich Hospital: Private Finance Initiative

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the (a) cost, (b) date of commencement and (c) duration of each private finance initiative contract with the Garrett Anderson Centre at Ipswich Hospital.

Simon Burns: Information on all private finance initiative (PFI) schemes is published on the HM Treasury's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pfi_signed_projects_list_march2011.xls
	The information for the (single) PFI contract at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust for the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Treatment Centre shows:
	it has a capital cost of £36 million and reached financial close in March 2006;
	the estimated annual unitary payment from the trust to the private sector contractor was £3.2 million for 20010-11; and
	the operational period under the contract is 30 years (the new treatment centre opened in June 2008).

Postnatal Depression: Huddersfield

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess recent trends in rates of women suffering from post-natal depression in Huddersfield.

Anne Milton: Most women diagnosed with post-natal depression are treated in primary care. Information is not collected centrally about diagnoses in primary care. Reliable data are not available about the number of women with post-natal depression.

Primary Care Trusts: Empty Property

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for property owned by primary care trusts following their closure.

Simon Burns: Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament, primary care trusts (PCTs) will be abolished in April 2013. The Department announced on 4 August 2011 that aspirant community foundation trusts, other national health service trusts, and foundation trusts are to be given the opportunity to acquire part(s) of the PCT estate deemed “service critical clinical infrastructure”. The relevant guidance is available on the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_129008
	PCTs have been working with NHS providers to agree the portfolio of properties that will transfer to them. Proposed lists are with strategic health authorities for approval at present. It is expected that the Department will sign off these provisional lists by 15 December 2011, and that actual transfers of estate will commence in 2012.
	PCTs will retain those parts of the estate not transferred to NHS providers for the time being. An announcement and further guidance relating to this part of the estate will be issued in due course.

Sex: Health Services

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what powers his Department will have in respect of a local authority which opts not to commission abortion services after the implementation of his proposed NHS reforms;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that comprehensive sexual health services including abortion and contraception services are commissioned and delivered by all local authorities after the implementation of his proposed NHS reforms.

Anne Milton: It is the Government's intention that there should be a small number of activities that local authorities will be required by regulations to commission, and these activities will include appropriate access to contraception and abortion services.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had about promoting social enterprises within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley) has promoted social enterprise by announcing the third wave of Right to Request in September 2010. In response to the announcement by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) of a cross-Government Right to Provide, the Secretary of State also launched a Right to Provide for national health service and social care staff in March 2011. To support social enterprises in health and social care, the Secretary of State announced the extension of the Social Enterprise Investment Fund for 2011-12.

TRANSPORT

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost to her Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period her Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque.

Norman Baker: The average cost of processing the payment of an invoice for the Department is £4.57 (the previous year cost was £4.99).
	In determining the average cost of processing an invoice, the cost is calculated by taking the staff costs for those staff who are solely involved in invoice processing and dividing it by the total number of invoices paid. The calculation does not take into account accommodation and IT/equipment costs.
	The average proportion of invoices settled electronically and by cheque for the Department is:
	Electronic—96.2%
	Cheque—3.8%

Departmental Magazine

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department produces a staff magazine; and with what frequency.

Norman Baker: The majority of DFT and DFT agency staff communications are electronic publications produced in-house to reduce costs and paper consumption. A small number of print publications are produced for front line staff who work out of the office without ready access to the IT systems.
	The following table gives the titles and frequency of print publications:
	
		
			 Department/Agency Magazine Frequency 
			 Driving Standards Agency The Standard (printed magazine) Every other month 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Licence (electronic with small print run) Monthly 
			 Highways Agency Networks (electronic with small print run) Monthly

Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts her Department has awarded directly to third sector organisations in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has awarded seven contracts directly to third sector organisations since May 2010. Details of these contracts are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Month Number of contracts Value (£) 
			 June 2010 1 10,000 
			 July 2010 2 36,500 
			 February 2011 2 3,100 
			 March 2011 1 700 
			 April 2011 1 4,180

Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts her Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has advertised 122 contracts on the Contracts Finder website since May 2010.
	The number, value and proportion awarded to third sector organisations and small businesses are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Month Number of contracts Value (£) Proportion to Third Sector (£) Proportion to Small Businesses (£) 
			 May 2010 1 1,500,000 0 0 
			 December 2010 1 0 0 0 
			 February 2011 8 173,000 21,625 21,625 
			 March 2011 10 64,935,862 0 0 
			 April 2011 4 151,000 0 0 
			 May 2011 4 202,246 0 0 
			 June 2011 21 44,880,000 0 103,626 
			 July 2011 29 3,096,492 0 0 
			 August 2011 22 17,189,850 0 0 
			 September 2011 22 3,296,072 22,715 0

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what definition of domestic violence her Department uses; and whether there are any qualifications of that definition in respect of particular services and processes for which her Department is responsible.

Norman Baker: In 2004, the Government introduced a single definition of domestic violence replacing the previous 14 different definitions in use across government and the public sector. The current cross-government definition defines domestic violence as “any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality” and this definition is used in my Department's Staff Handbook. There are no qualifications to the definition.

Invalid Vehicles: Safety

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made in considering responses to its consultation on proposed changes to the law governing powered mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs; and whether she has considered implementing additional requirements to make mobility vehicles more conspicuous for the purposes of improving the safety of the mobility vehicle user and other road users.

Norman Baker: holding answer 19 October 2011
	The Department's full response to the consultation will be published as soon as possible. Following careful consideration and analysis of all the responses received, I have asked my officials to undertake further work with transport operators, the industry and user group representatives on the following issues:
	options for training and incentives for vehicle users to take up training;
	a possible minimum eyesight requirement and incentives for users to meet these requirements;
	the case for increasing the unladen weight limit for powered wheelchairs only;
	the carriage of mobility scooters on public transport;
	improved guidance and information for mobility vehicle users; and
	replacing the legal term “invalid carriage” with a more suitable and contemporary term, and a review of how current legislation could be better enforced.
	Any improved safety measures will need to be considered in relation to the aims of the Red Tape Challenge.
	The Highway Code reminds users of the need to be conspicuous and this advice will be reiterated in any guidance and information produced by my Department.

Railways: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many de-icing vehicles she estimates will be available for use on the third-rail electrified network on 1 November 2011.

Norman Baker: holding answer 26 October 2011
	The following table details the number of third rail treatment trains that will be available this year compared to last year.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 GLV(1) Two available from 1 December 2010 Three available from 1 November 2011 
			 MPV(2) 16 available from 1 December 2010 16 available from 1 December 2011 then 21 available from 1 February 2012 
			 SITT(3) None available Six available from 1 December 2011 
			 CI 375(4) None available 20 Class 375 vehicles capable of delivering anti-ice treatment while operating in passenger service will be available from 1 November 2011 
			 (1 )GLV (Gatwick Luggage Van)—Provides anti-icing and de-icing capability. (2 )MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle)—Provides an anti-icing capability. (3 )SITT (Snow and Ice Treatment Trains)—Provides a heavy duty snow and ice clearance capability. (4 )CI 375 (Modified Southeastern Class 375 Electrostar train). The train has been modified to apply anti-icing fluid to the conductor rail while in normal passenger service.

Railways: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on which train operating companies have arrangements to carry emergency blankets and supplies on trains during periods of severe winter weather.

Norman Baker: holding answer 26 October 2011
	The Department does not collect information on train operating companies' arrangements to carry emergency blankets and supplies on trains during periods of severe winter weather. This is an operational matter for the companies. However we are aware that some companies such as Southeastern do hold equipment such as foil blankets for use in such eventualities. If he is concerned about any particular train operating company, the hon. Member may wish to take this up with them direct.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Correspondence

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 996W, on departmental correspondence, who he plans to invite to his proposed series of seminars on unemployment and roundtable meetings on the big society; and if he will invite hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies to such meetings.

Michael Moore: Invitations to the Scotland Office seminars on unemployment are agreed in collaboration with the organisations we work in partnership with in arranging the events, typically the local authority. Hon. Members are invited to seminars held in their constituencies. The invitee list for the next youth unemployment seminar, which will take place in Falkirk in November 2011, is currently being drawn up and is not yet available.
	The big society roundtable meetings take the form of small focus groups which allow a range of stakeholder organisations to inform Government of their experiences. The location for the next roundtable event has yet to be decided and the invitee list is not yet available.

Family Intervention Programme

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the funding allocated to the family intervention programme for families with multiple problems will be allocated to the Scottish government under the Barnett formula.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	Policy for the family intervention programme is devolved to the Scottish Government. Funding in England is being met within existing spending review settlements, on which the Scottish Government have already received Barnett consequentials.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether mineral extractors are continuing to pay into the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund after its discontinuation; and for what purposes any such payments are being applied.

Richard Benyon: The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) was managed by DEFRA and discontinued at the end of the financial year ending March 2011. The decision was taken as part of the spending review settlement in October 2010 in a very tight spending context where we had to look very carefully across all the Department's priorities to see where we can make best use of available funds in keeping with the Government's priority of cutting the deficit.
	The Aggregates Levy, which was introduced in April 2002, is the responsibility of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and it still exists. The revenue collected is part of general Government revenue and does not go into a specific pot.

Agriculture: Manpower

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of the workforce in the farming and agricultural sector is aged between 18 and 25;
	(2)  what the change in the number of 18 to 25-year- olds in employment in the farming and agricultural sector (a) was in each year from May 1997 to May 2010 and (b) has been since May 2010.

James Paice: DEFRA does not hold this information.

Bats

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect the (a) greater and (b) lesser Horseshoe bat.

Richard Benyon: All species of bat are afforded a very high level of protection through transposition of the EU Habitats Directive into UK law; this includes making it an offence to deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat or to damage or destroy a breeding or resting site. In addition, the very best sites for populations of greater and lesser horseshoe bats have been given further protection as sites of special scientific interest and special areas of conservation. Natural England works with landowners within agri-environment schemes to enhance the environment for both the lesser and greater horseshoe bat. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England also provide financial support to the Bat Conservation Trust to co-ordinate the National Bat Monitoring Programme, which in turn provides annual population trend data. The latest data from 2010 suggest that the population of both species is increasing steadily.

British Waterways: Pensions

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what are the British Waterways pension past service liabilities in respect of (a) retired personnel and (b) staff who it is proposed will transfer to the Canal and River Trust;
	(2)  what the British Waterways pension deficit is; and what proportion of this deficit is attributable to (a) retired staff and (b) staff who it is proposed will transfer to the Canal and River Trust.

Richard Benyon: The last triennial valuation of the British Waterways pension fund carried out by the Scheme Actuary on 31 March 2010 showed that the total past service liabilities were £340 million. Of this, £220 million related to 3,634 members who were either pensioners or former employees who were not then on pension. The remaining £120 million related to the 1,296 active members who were employed by BW at the time of the valuation.
	No formal valuation has been prepared since March 2010 although estimated updates have been prepared by the Scheme Actuary for the pension fund Trustees. As at 30 June 2011 the total number of pensioner and deferred members was 3,677 and the active members totalled 1,281. It is expected that all active members at the time, with the exception of those that remain in BWB (Scotland), will transfer to the employment of the Canal and River Trust.
	At the date of the March 2010 actuarial valuation of the British Waterways Pension Fund the pension deficit was £65.6 million. Given the causes of the pension deficit, it would not be appropriate to attribute 'proportions of the deficit' in the manner suggested.

Common Agricultural Policy

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations (a) she and (b) officials in her Department made during discussions with her international counterparts on making animal welfare a stated objective of the reformed common agricultural policy.

James Paice: The Government are committed to improving farm animal welfare and minimum standards set by the EU are already some of the highest in the world. Most recently, the UK has made significant progress in improving the welfare of both broiler chickens and laying hens. We have also led the rest of Europe in improvements to pig welfare.
	Formal negotiations on the CAP proposals are only just beginning, and as yet DEFRA has not made any representations on animal welfare in relation to the CAP. DEFRA will continue to work with the European Commission, European Parliament, member states and domestic stakeholders to press for an ambitious reform of the CAP that delivers good value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment.

Common Fisheries Policy

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has made to the European Commission on amending the common fisheries policy.

Richard Benyon: The UK Government are committed to achieving genuine and radical reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP). The European Commission's proposals for reform are a welcome start but we need to work with others—including member states, the European Parliament and the European Commission—to agree the changes necessary to deliver real reform. In particular, UK proposals are aimed at eliminating discards, decentralisation of decision-making, a more economically rational fisheries management system, greater integration of fisheries and environmental management, and also applying the principles of sustainable use both outside EU waters and within.

Dairy Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential environmental effects of dairy farmers switching to beef production.

James Paice: DEFRA has commissioned research to understand better the environmental impacts (eg greenhouse gas emissions and diffuse pollution) of dairy and beef production systems in their own right, and on subjects (eg forage improvement and evaluation) which are generic to both systems, but not specifically on the effects of switching from dairy to beef production.
	“Change in the Air and Testing the Water”, the two parts of industry's current English Beef and Sheep Production Roadmap, discuss the sustainability of the sectors and set out some benchmarks for performance.
	The roadmap can be found at:
	http://www.eblex.org.uk/publications/corporate.aspx

Dairy Farming

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to provide assistance for dairy farmers.

James Paice: The future prosperity and sustainability of the dairy industry lies to a large extent in its own hands but the Government provide assistance for dairy farmers in many ways.
	Through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, Government challenge senior sector representatives to discuss the health and future of the dairy sector and identify opportunities which should benefit dairy farmers. These include exploring new export markets or replacing imports with British products to improve our trade balance and therefore demand for British milk supplies.
	We have encouraged and supported industry's development of its own voluntary code of practice on contractual relations for farmers and the Dairy 2020 project which will produce an action plan to secure long-term industry sustainability.
	Government and industry are both investing substantial sums in research in the sector. For 2009-10, DEFRA research programmes representing a combined spend of about £16 million were of relevance to the dairy sector. Farmers can access Rural Development Programme (England) funds. SME dairy processors, which may include or be supplied by dairy farmers, should be able to access both the Enterprise Capital Funds programme and the Business Growth Fund.
	The Government are responding to the report of the Task Force on Farming Regulation, which contains several recommendations with application to dairy farmers. The Government will make an initial response later in the autumn.
	The Government have also launched the Government Buying Standards to ensure food procured by Government Departments meets UK standards of production wherever this can be achieved, without increasing overall cost. The Government facilitated the industry's development of country of origin labelling principles.
	The Government are introducing a Groceries Code Adjudicator to monitor and enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Legal Opinion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by her Department in 2010-11; what guidance her Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if she will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by her Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not keep a central record of hourly rates paid to external solicitors and barristers and cannot therefore provide an accurate figure for the average rates without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Where possible, DEFRA instructs barristers from the Attorney-General's panel of Counsel, which is made up of three London Panels and a Regional (non-London) Panel. The rates agreed for each panel are shown in the following table. The panel system is supplemented by the retention of two First Treasury Counsel to advise and represent Government in particularly complex and sensitive matters. The First Treasury Counsel hourly rate is also shown in the table. When a Queen’s Counsel is engaged the rate is negotiated on a case by case basis.
	
		
			 Counsel Hourly rate 
			 First Treasury Counsel £220 
			 A panel £120 
			 B panel £100 
			 C panel (1)£60 to £80 
			 Regional panel (1)£60 to £110 
			 (1) Depending on experience. 
		
	
	For non-contentious matters, the Department, wherever possible, instructs solicitors firms selected from a panel. This panel has been established under a framework agreement to provide legal services to Government bodies. For litigation, the Department uses solicitors from the Litigation Catalogue wherever possible. The use of solicitors from outside the framework agreement is only permitted where there are no suitable solicitors available from the Litigation Catalogue.
	In commissioning external legal services DEFRA refers to guidance produced by the Attorney-General's Office on the use of the private sector for Government legal work. On the use of counsel, Government Legal Service (GLS) guidance, DEFRA guidance and Treasury Solicitors Guidance on purchasing external legal services is used.
	The following two tables contain details of the solicitors and barristers to whom the Department made payments in 2010-11, in bands of £50,000 (the first table) and £5,000 (the second table).
	
		
			 Amount Solicitors 
			 Less than £25,000 Bird and Co Solicitors 
			 £50,000 to £99,999 Eversheds 
			 £150,000 to £199,999 Pinsent Masons 
		
	
	
		
			 Amount Barristers 
			 Less than £25,000 Adam Birkby, Charles George, Charles Mynors, Charles Snelling, Chole Hudson, Clare Hennessy, Collin Thomann, Emma Dixon, Hamish Common, Helen Roddick, Helen Wolstenholme, Howard Shaw, James Byrne, John Jolliffe, Lee Fish, Lisa Busch, Louise Hartley, Marina Wheeler, Mark Cooper, Matthew Orr, Michael Collis, Mikhael Puar, Ned Helme, Nigel Fryer, Oliver Willmott, Philip Moser, Richard Cole, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hodgkinson, Robert Palmer, Robert Wastell, Sarah Moore, Sasha Blackmore, Sean Brunton, Simion Perkins, Stephen Tromans, Andrew Marshall, Angus McCulough QC, Elisa Holmes, Hugh Mercer, James Eadie QC, Julie Anderson, Kassie Smith, Kate Grange, Sarah Ford, Simon Phillips QC, David Anderson QC, Derrick Wyatt QC, Ian Rogers, Philip Coppel, Russell Fortt, Tim Buley, James Maurici 
			   
			 £25,000 to £29,999 Brendan McGurk, Thomas Payne, Tim Eicke 
			 £30,000 to £34,999 Iain Quirk 
			 £50,000 to £54,999 Hannah Willcocks 
		
	
	These lists are not exhaustive and could only be confirmed to be comprehensive at disproportionate cost.
	In compliance with the Government's Transparency Agenda, DEFRA has published information about payments over £25,000 on its website.
	Details of all barristers who are currently on the Attorney-General's panels are available from the Treasury Solicitor's Department website at:
	www.tsol.gov.uk/attorney_generals_panel_of_counsel.htm

Dolphins and Whales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of (a) dolphin and (b) whale catching undertaken by other EU member states.

Richard Benyon: The EU position is clear: within Community waters all whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are strictly protected from deliberate disturbance, capture or killing.
	The Faroe Islands and Greenland, Crown territories of Denmark, are not bound by EU legislation put in place to protect cetaceans.
	In 2010 around 900 pilot whales, 21 Risso's dolphins and 14 White-sided dolphins were killed in the Faroe Islands. Greenland's annual aboriginal subsistence whaling quota compromises 178 Minke, two Bowhead, 10 Fin and nine Humpback whales.
	We will continue to work hard with other EU Member States to ensure the EU takes a strong, pro-conservation position within the International Whaling Commission, and ensure that the moratorium on commercial whaling is not undermined.

Fish Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of the oyster dredging industry.

Richard Benyon: The oyster industry is managed on a site by site basis and assessments are made at this level. No national research has been undertaken on the environmental impact of the oyster dredging industry.
	While overexploitation of oysters could be a contributing factor leading to declines in oyster populations in certain areas, Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities byelaws regulate the industry at a local level, ensuring it is managed sustainably.
	Impacts to the wider environment as a result of the passage of towed gear on the sea bed will vary according to the level of sensitivity of the habitat
	Peer-reviewed assessment of the specific impacts of oyster dredges is limited although evidence suggests the immediate impacts of towed gear use would likely include a reduction in the biomass of emergent epifauna and large infaunal species (should these be present), short-term resuspension of silts and the sorting of sediment particles.
	However, as oysters tend to sit on the surface, rather than recessed (as with scallops), oyster dredges are designed to scrape the surface of the bed rather than penetrate it and are light relative to other dredges.

Fish Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk of potential pathogens spreading from fish farms into natural fish stocks.

Richard Benyon: Government veterinary and fish scientists regularly review risks, They are aware of the potential for transfer of disease pathogens from farmed to natural fish stocks, although studies so far have not found any evidence that transfer in practice takes place.
	All fish farms in England are authorised by the Fish Health Inspectorate of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), a DEFRA agency. Authorisation sets out which species may be farmed. A consultation process with conservation and environmental bodies is undertaken prior to the authorisation of a new farm or a change to farming practices. Fish farms are ranked according to the risk they pose of disease spread, and this ranking dictates their disease inspection regime. Fish farms are required to operate to an approved biosecurity measures plan.

Fly-tipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce the incidence of fly- tipping.

Richard Benyon: The Government Review of Waste Policy in England, published in June 2011, sets out a number of measures to encourage compliance with waste legislation and ensure that the sanctions available act as a real deterrent to those responsible for waste crime, including fly-tipping. At the same time the Government are taking other measures, such as the development of responsibility deals and the waste and recycling collection commitments, to make it easier for people to do the right thing with their waste.
	Government action to reduce fly-tipping includes:
	(a) introducing stronger powers for local authorities and the Environment Agency to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of involvement in waste crime;
	(b) working with local authorities and the Environment Agency to strengthen enforcement of the waste carrier regime;
	(c) considering whether fines for fly tipping are sufficient to act as a deterrent to fly-tipping;
	(d) ensuring more effective intelligence sharing between DEFRA and its partners including the Environment Agency, local authorities, the police and other agencies; and
	(e) working with private landowners to increase reporting of fly-tipping on their land, sharing best practice and considering the options for reducing the burden for those affected.

Food: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effects of trends in wild food foraging on habitat conservation and biodiversity.

Richard Benyon: There has been no formal assessment. However, species targeted for wild food foraging are generally common and widespread, and it is considered highly unlikely that present levels of foraging are having any impact on their distribution or population size.
	Species known to be at particular risk (including picking in the case of plants) receive special protection through the provisions of the appropriate schedules of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
	There are particular concerns about high levels of foraging for edible fungi, but foraging in line with "The Wild Mushroom Pickers' Code of Conduct", produced by the British Mycological Society, is acceptable and unlikely to lead to species declines.
	Any proposals for large-scale wild food foraging on sites of special scientific interest in England would require consent from Natural England.

Food: Waste

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce the level of food waste.

Richard Benyon: The Government's Review of Waste Policy in England, published in June, outlines our long-term aim to reduce food waste substantially.
	To do this the Government will continue to help businesses and consumers waste less food by sharing insight, evidence and best practice, improving product design and retail and supply chain practice, engaging consumers and encouraging local partnership approaches to food waste prevention. For example, we recently published new guidance for food and drink manufacturers on the application of date marks to food.
	We will continue to work with food retailers and manufacturers via the Courtauld Commitment, and will develop a new responsibility deal with the hospitality and service sectors to reduce food waste. We will also lead by example by tackling food waste across the public sector estate.

Inland Waterways: Bridges

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bridges cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways.

Richard Benyon: A total of 2,888 bridges cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways in England and Wales.

Inland Waterways: Bridges

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the bridges that cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways carry highways that are the responsibility of (a) the Highways Agency and (b) other highway authorities.

Richard Benyon: There are 202 bridges in England that cross inland waterways (canals and certain rivers) managed by British Waterways and carry highways that are the responsibility of the Highways Agency. The Highways Agency does not hold figures for Wales.
	Some bridges over British Waterways' navigations are also owned by Network Rail, London Underground and other transport undertakings, and some are privately owned. British Waterways also owns many such bridges. Neither DEFRA nor the Department for Transport holds information on these bridges and obtaining it would incur disproportionate expense.

Inland Waterways: Bridges

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for repair and maintenance to bridges that cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways which carry highways that are the responsibility of (a) the Highways Agency and (b) other highway authorities; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such works in each case.

Richard Benyon: The bridges that are the responsibility of the Highways Agency and cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways are subject to a regular regime of structural inspections. General inspections are carried out every two years and more detailed principal inspections are undertaken every six years. These inspections record the condition of the bridges, identifying the extent and severity of any defects in the structural components. Where the defects are significant, plans for remedial maintenance works are developed, and where they are of sufficient priority, funding is allocated and repairs undertaken by the Highways Agency's Maintenance Agents. There are no separate available estimates of maintenance costs for canal and river bridges.
	Neither the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs nor the Department for Transport retains information centrally in relation to the ownership or maintenance of local highway authority bridges that cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	British Waterways stringently monitors the asset condition of its structures, including bridges, and applies a risk-based prioritisation of repair and renewal expenditure. It estimates that the annual cost of maintenance and repairs to keep its bridges at a steady state would be £3.3 million in England and Wales.

Inland Waterways: Bridges

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of repairs and maintenance to bridges that cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways that carry highways that are the responsibility of the (a) Highways Agency and (b) other highways authorities has been in each of the last 10 years; and what the distribution of those costs between British Waterways and the respective highways agency has been.

Richard Benyon: Neither the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs nor the Department for Transport retains information centrally in relation to the ownership or maintenance of local highway authority bridges that cross inland waterways managed by British Waterways. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Highways Agency does not hold records of maintenance costs on individual canal and river bridges over the last 10 years for which it is responsible.
	British Waterways' expenditure on major repairs to bridges in England and Wales for the last four years is shown in the following table. In addition to these figures, British Waterways expends £205,000 each year on routine maintenance.
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2007-08 0.544 
			 2008-09 1.421 
			 2009-10 0.321 
			 2010-11 1.150

International Whaling Commission

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support the International Whaling Commission to conserve and manage whale stocks.

Richard Benyon: The UK position on whaling is clear; we strongly support the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling and oppose all forms of whaling, other than limited whaling operations by indigenous people for subsistence purposes to meet a defined and substantiated need.
	I attended this year's IWC meeting in June to demonstrate the UK Government's commitment to the work of the IWC and our support for the moratorium on whaling. At the meeting, the UK supported the creation of whale sanctuaries and the need for improved welfare and conservation efforts to improve cetacean populations. The UK is also financially contributing to the work of the IWC on the protection of small cetaceans.

Pesticides

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what methodology her Department applies the precautionary principle in Article 174 of the EC Treaty in relation to pesticide approvals; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Commission Communication (2000) 1, of 2 February 2000, outlines the European Commission's approach to using the precautionary principle and establishes Commission guidelines for applying it, among other aims. This communication stresses the need for the precautionary principle to be considered within a structured approach which is made up of risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. In the communication the Commission recognises that one way of applying the precautionary principle is through the Community rules for prior approval of certain products before they are placed on the market, such as in the case of pesticides.
	Following the approval of pesticide active substances under the EU regulatory regime, pesticide products are authorised in the UK under the EU rules for national authorisations. As part of this process, the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive (the Government body responsible for regulating pesticides) carries out checks to ensure the risks that can arise from the use of these products are not unacceptable. This will include an assessment of the toxicity of each product and the ways in which spray operators, the public or environment may be exposed to it. CRD routinely restrict the way products can be used (e.g. specifying dose rates, timing and place of application) to ensure protection of human health and the environment. Pesticide users are also legally obliged to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of human beings, creatures and plants. As part of its role, CRD considers relevant scientific studies as they arise to see if they are relevant to UK authorisation, and continues to keep abreast of research and developments in other EU member states and elsewhere.

Pesticides

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes have been made to pesticide risk assessment for pollinators test processes since the publication of her Department's report, “Are pesticide risk assessments for honeybees protective of other pollinators,” in 2008.

Richard Benyon: As pesticides are subject to a European regulatory regime, Ministers are keen that these issues are addressed through collaborative working across the international arena. Since this work was published, it has been considered in an international forum (the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) (SETAC) which is developing the pesticides risk assessment for pollinators (honeybees and non-Apis bees) with a focus on 'non-Apis bees'. This forum recognised that the risk assessment scheme for honeybees did not cover non-Apis bees, and that the risk assessment approaches, studies and associated trigger values need to be further developed. Work is also ongoing with the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD). on 'other pollinators' under the Pesticides Effects on Insect Pollinators (PEIP) initiative. Government scientists and officials are already actively engaged in these major international initiatives.
	The new pesticides marketing Regulation (Regulation 1107/2009) introduces a requirement for consideration of the impact on biodiversity and the ecosystem as part of the approval criteria for active substances, as well as other new proposed data requirements. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are to produce revised guidance on aquatic ecotoxicology (including biodiversity consequences) by 2014. Other aspects of biodiversity will be addressed as relevant guidance (eg terrestrial ecotoxicology) is revised or developed by EFSA, and the SETAC and OECD work is expected to feed into this.

Pesticides

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated in the monitoring of residues of glyphosate and glufosinate ammonium in crops such as wheat, soya, maize and oilseed rape which are directly sprayed with such herbicides over the top of the growing crops and food/feed ingredients; and what the maximum residue limit is for these herbicides for each crop which is directly sprayed over the top of the growing crop.

Richard Benyon: The Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD), which is part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is responsible for commissioning and publishing the results of the national pesticide residue testing programme in the UK. Around 3,500 samples of food are tested for a range of pesticides. All results are published on the HSE's website.
	Field crops are not tested. The monitoring programme tests mainly fresh food and some processed food at the point which it is available to consumers on the market for a range of pesticides. The table summarises when CRD last monitored food from the crops listed for the pesticides and gives the maximum residue levels (MRLs).
	Due to the analytical difficulties associated with testing for Glyphosate and Glufosinate, analytical research (Project PS 2538) was undertaken and completed in 2009 to validate the analytical methods in a range of food including cereals and cereal based products. The outcomes of this research are published on the Science and Research section of the DEFRA website.
	Maximum residue levels are established only for food which is sold for human consumption. However, when MRL's are set for food products derived from animals, the regulatory process takes into account the contribution of any residues from the animal feed.
	
		
			  MRL (mg/kg)    Survey results 
			 Commodity Glyphosate Glufosinate Survey year Commodity Surveyed Number  of sample s Glyphosate Glufosinate 
			 Wheat 10 0.1 2009 Grain from farm store 72 Found in nine samples at levels ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 mg/kg Not sought 
		
	
	
		
			    2010 Bread 216 Found in 23 samples at levels ranging from 0.2 to 0.9 mg/kg Not sought 
			    2009  217 Found in 15 samples at levels ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg  
			    2008  216 Found in 45 samples at levels ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 mg/kg  
			    2007  216 Found in 41 samples at levels ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg  
			    2006  216 Found in 20 samples at levels ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/kg  
			         
			 Soya (1)20 (1)2 2006 Soya pieces/tofu 60 Found in 11 samples at levels from 0.1 and 1.1 mg/kg Not sought 
			     Soya milk 60 Sought but not found  
			    2011 Soya milk and other soya products 80 Sought—Survey ongoing Sought. Survey ongoing 
			         
			 Maize 1 0.5    Surveys have tested for range of pesticides but not glyphosate or glufosinate due to analytical capability at the time.  
			 Oilseed rape (2)10 (2)5      
			 (1) MRL for soya bean (2) MRL for rape seed.

Rivers: Pollution Control

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Environment Agency has taken to ensure that standards are adhered to in respect of consents on package sewage treatment plants under its River Mease Diffuse Water Pollution Plan.

Richard Benyon: The River Mease Diffuse Water Pollution Plan (DWPP) addresses diffuse water pollution from agriculture, small un-consented point discharges and other diffuse sources, such as runoff from roads or urban areas. It is not the purpose of the DWPP to control consent standards from package treatment plants.
	The Environment Agency uses a risk-based approach when assessing consent compliance at package sewage treatment plants. Where a detrimental effect on the environment is suspected, visits are made and samples of the effluent are taken for analysis. If the Environment Agency finds that pollution of groundwater or surface water is being caused, or is likely to be caused, officials would initially discuss that with the permit holder to seek improvements such as maintenance. If necessary the permit can be reviewed.

Septic Tanks

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress her Department has made on its review of the registration of septic tanks.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and Environment Agency officials are currently undertaking a review regarding the requirement to register. The review includes engaging with key players such as the Country Land & Business Association, the National Farmers Union and water companies etc., to develop proposals on an alternative approach. Once the review has been completed we will propose the way forward, probably around the turn of the year. In the meantime, the Environment Agency has suspended the registration system in England and there is no need for householders to register.

Sharks

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of basking sharks in UK waters in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The UK has not made an assessment of the basking shark population in any of the last five years.
	This is primarily due to the fact that, as the basking shark is a fish stock covered under the common fisheries policy, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is responsible for providing the European Commission and member states with scientific advice on the basking shark population on a biannual basis. We collect evidence of any strandings or by-catch of basking sharks under our domestic cetacean monitoring programmes.
	In line with the ICES advice that the basking shark is an inherently vulnerable species, and acknowledging that, as fisheries have ceased, detailed information on population trends will be limited, this species is offered strong legal protection both domestically, within the European Union and Internationally.
	The basking shark is offered protection from all harm under our domestic Wildlife and Countryside Act, is a prohibited species under the common fisheries policy (preventing fishing of the species) and internationally is listed under both the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
	We have no evidence of significant adverse impacts on the species in our waters; however if this situation changes we will look carefully at what additional measures are needed to best protect this vulnerable species.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage the (a) EU delegation and (b) African group at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to recognise the links between population growth, carbon emissions and adaptation problems in order to reach agreement on the use of climate funds for family planning and women's education programmes.

Gregory Barker: The UK and EU are open to discussing the linkages between mitigation, adaptation, family planning and women's education and climate finance under the UNFCCC framework.

Procurement

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier was of each transaction undertaken by his Department using the Government Procurement Card in 2008-09.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008 as a merger of elements of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). For 2008-09, details of DECC's GPC information was held as a mixture of electronic and paper records by both BIS and DEFRA, depending on which Department cardholders previously worked for. Paper records have been archived and would need to be retrieved and scrutinised to identify transactions relating to DECC. All transactions would need to be reviewed before publication to redact personal or security related information. It would incur disproportionate costs to locate and analyse records.

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible for the warm home discount who will not be paid the discount as a result of some energy companies capping their expenditure on the scheme.

Gregory Barker: The State Pension Credit (Warm Home Discount) Regulations 2011 allow for legal information sharing between DWP and the energy suppliers to identify those on a subset of pension credit who are or may be eligible for a rebate as part of the Core Group of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. The participating energy supply companies are required by law to provide a rebate to any Core Group customer notified to them by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne). This is not capped by the energy supply companies.
	As a result, this winter Government expects that over 600,000 pensioners in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit will get a rebate of £120 on their electricity bill. The number of pensioners assisted through the Core Group will increase over the further three years of the scheme as eligibility expands to include those who receive the savings element of pension credit. By 2014-15, Government expects that over 1.3 million low income pensioners will receive a £140 rebate.
	For the Broader Group of the Warm Home Discount Scheme, suppliers have discretion over the eligibility criteria they use. They must target those in or at risk of fuel poverty and their eligibility criteria must be approved by OfGem. Those eligible will receive a rebate on their electricity bill. This is set at £120 in 2011-12, rising to £140 by 2014-15. Low income families and those with long term illnesses, disabilities and the elderly may be assisted. It is not possible to estimate the number of consumers eligible under the Broader Group, as eligibility will vary according to which energy supplier the consumer is registered with. The amount which the six participating energy supply companies must provide in the form of rebates to the Broader Group will also increase across the four years of the scheme. It must be a minimum of at least £3 million in 2011-12, rising to £47 million in 2012-13 and £90 million in 2014-15.

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to require energy companies to pay the warm home discount to all their customers who are eligible to receive it as part of the core group or the broader group.

Gregory Barker: The overall spending target for the Warm Home Discount Scheme, set out in Schedule 1 of the Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011 (2011/1033), is £1.1 billion over the four years of the scheme (2011-12 to 2014-15). This represents a significant increase in activity and funding on the 2008-10 voluntary agreement between the six major energy supply companies and Government which was worth £375 million over three years.
	Energy suppliers are required by Regulation 7 of the Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011 to provide the prescribed rebate to all Core Group customers who the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), notifies them of, unless they provide an exception, as set out by the Secretary of State under Regulation 8. As a result, energy supply companies will be required to provide a rebate of £120 to all customers notified to them in the Core Group this winter. Government estimates that over 600,000 low income pensioners will be provided with a rebate this winter. As the eligibility for the Core Group is widened, so the number assisted is expected to increase over the subsequent three years of the scheme. For the Broader Group of the Warm Home Discount Scheme, suppliers have discretion over the eligibility criteria they use. They must target those in or at risk of fuel poverty and their eligibility criteria must be approved by OfGem. £3 million has been allocated for the energy suppliers to provide £120 Broader Group rebates in 2011-12. To ensure a smooth transition from the previous Voluntary Agreement, £140 million has been allocated for Legacy Spending in 2011-12, for suppliers to continue to provide discounted and social tariffs.
	The level of expenditure required under the Broader Group will increase with each scheme year. It will rise to £47 million in 2012-13, as spending on legacy tariffs decreases, and to £90 million in 2014-15.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his contribution of 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 945, on energy prices, 
	(1)  whether his Department has made an estimate of the total potential saving to the public if all households saved £200 by switching energy supplier;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that could save £200 by switching energy supplier;
	(3)  what the evidential basis is for his statement that people could save £200 by switching energy supplier.

Charles Hendry: The savings households can make will vary depending on which supplier they are with, tariff they are on, payment method they choose and region a customer is in. But Ofgem, in their Retail Market Review, found that
	“Customers of the Big 6 that were already on dual-fuel direct debit accounts, could have saved between £160 and almost £200 over the course of 2010 had they switched to the cheapest dual-fuel, direct debit accounts at the start of the year.”
	They went on to report that
	“the savings are higher for customers on standard credit or on pre-payment meters.”(1)
	Full details of Ofgem's findings are available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk//Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/RMR_Appendices.pdf
	(1) Page 10—The Retail Market Review—Findings and initial proposals—Supplementary appendices.

Nuclear Energy Co-operation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has contributed to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Co-operation in financial year 2011-12.

Charles Hendry: The Department has made no financial contribution to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Co-operation in FY 2011-12, an initiative which provides a forum for co-operation between member states on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The UK contributes actively to IFNEC, notably in the working groups.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the (a) cost, (b) date of commencement and (c) duration of each private finance initiative contract managed by his Department.

Bob Neill: Information on projects that were signed prior to 16 March 2011 is available on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_pfi_stats.htm
	In addition to listing the project name and responsible Department the information available includes (a) the capital value of the asset and associated unitary charge payments, (b) the date the contract was signed and (c) the operational period of the contract.
	The Department provides updated information to HM Treasury annually for inclusion and publication on their website.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of domestic violence his Department uses; and whether there are any qualifications of that definition in respect of particular services and processes for which his Department is responsible.

Andrew Stunell: My Department uses the current cross-government definition of domestic violence. It defines domestic violence as:
	“any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.”
	I am not aware of any qualifications of the definition in respect of public services or processes for which DCLG are responsible.

Private Rented Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has any plans to bring forward proposals in respect of (a) rent levels, (b) security of tenure and (c) energy efficiency of private sector accommodation.

Grant Shapps: The current legislative framework is intended to provide a balance between rights and responsibilities for landlords and tenants. We therefore have no plans to change tenure arrangements in the sector. Private rents are market led and, therefore, significantly driven by housing supply. Excessive regulation would drive up rents and reduce choice for tenants. Rent controls, historically, resulted in the size of the private rented sector shrinking from 55% of households in 1939 to just 8% in the late 1980s. Rent controls also meant that many landlords could not afford to improve or maintain their homes.
	This Government are committed to seeing a major increase in the supply of new homes where they are needed and wanted. Energy efficiency in the private rented sector is being tackled through measures in the Energy Act including the Green Deal.

Travellers: Dorset

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary Traveller sites there are in Dorset.

Andrew Stunell: The "Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans" undertaken bi-annually by local authorities in England and collated by my Department collects data on the number of Traveller caravans that are on authorised and unauthorised sites in England; it also provides specific data on Traveller sites provided by local authorities and other registered providers.
	The latest published data, from the count undertaken in January 2011, shows that in Dorset there were:
	46 caravans on sites provided by local authorities and other registered providers;
	22 caravans on authorised private sites, including eight caravans on private sites that have temporary planning permission;
	16 caravans on unauthorised developments (on sites developed without planning permission);
	80 caravans on unauthorised encampments (on land not owned by the Travellers).
	The count lists four sites provided by local authorities and other registered providers in Dorset; these provide 47 residential pitches. We do not collect data on the number of other types of site.
	The “Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans” is available in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Argentina

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations with Argentina; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The UK values its relationship with Argentina as an important international partner. We have a close and productive relationship on a range of issues including in the G20, on climate change, sustainable development, science and innovation and counter proliferation.
	We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and there cannot be negotiations on sovereignty until such a time as the islanders so wish. This position will not change, but we do not want the single issue of the Falkland Islands to dominate our bilateral relationship and continue to look for practical ways to co-operate with Argentina on a range of South Atlantic issues.

Argentina

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department are stationed in Argentina.

Jeremy Browne: There are approximately 65 staff stationed in Buenos Aires. This number includes UK based civil servants and staff employed locally. For operational and security reasons we cannot provide a more detailed breakdown.

Argentina: Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Argentina on the Falkland Islands.

Jeremy Browne: I have not had any recent discussions with my Argentine counterpart on the Falkland Islands. We have made clear that the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and that there will be no negotiations on sovereignty unless or until the Falkland islanders so wish.

Argentina: Freedom of Expression

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Argentina on freedom of expression.

Jeremy Browne: The UK discusses human rights issues with Argentina, including freedom of expression, within the framework of the annual EU-Argentina Human Rights Dialogue. The last such dialogue took place in Buenos Aires in November 2010.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Assets

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of British assets on the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the last five years.

Henry Bellingham: We only hold financial records for the past three financial years and the current year. During this period, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration spent £19,850.38 on the maintenance of British assets on BIOT.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urgently take up the case with the Iranian authorities of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who has been sentenced to death.

Alistair Burt: We are deeply concerned about the sentence handed out to Pastor Nadarkhani. In a statement on 28 September 2011, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), deplored reports that Pastor Nadarkhani was being forced to recant his faith or face the death penalty. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have raised Pastor Nadarkhani's case with the Iranian authorities on a number of occasions. In addition, we have taken co-ordinated action with our EU partners to address Iran's appalling human rights record, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on over 60 Iranians responsible for abuses, including Government Ministers and members of the judiciary. We and our EU partners will continue to raise Pastor Nadarkhani's case and insist that his sentence is overturned.

Iran: Higher Education

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian authorities on the access of the Baha'i community to higher education.

Alistair Burt: We have made representations to the Iranian authorities about this issue. The closure of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education and arrest of members of its staff form part of a wider pattern of harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the imprisonment of Baha'i leaders. We regularly raise these issues with the Iranian authorities, including when I met the Iranian chargé d’affaires in August this year. We will continue to press the Iranian Government to accord all their people the right to freedom of religion. With our EU partners, the UK has taken co-ordinated action to address Iran's human rights record, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on over 60 Iranians responsible for human rights violations, including Government Ministers and members of the judiciary.

Israel: UN Resolutions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to Palestine's Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on the need to begin discussions with the Israeli Government to agree a solution in the Middle East.

Alistair Burt: We continue to believe that the best way to achieve a lasting solution to the Middle East Peace Process is through negotiations. Our focus is on doing all we can to achieve this—putting pressure on both sides. The British Consul General to Jerusalem most recently discussed the issue with Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad on 6 October.
	We welcome the statement issued by the Quartet on 23 September. Getting the parties back to genuine negotiations is our primary objective. The statement refers to the parameters set out by President Obama in May, with which we agree. It also sets a clear timetable for talks. Both parties stated their willingness to talk in their speeches to the UN General Assembly. We are urging both parties to respond positively to the Quartet's invitation.

Libya: Rendition

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made a submission to the Detainee inquiry in respect of allegations of UK involvement in the rendition of individuals to Libya under the former Libyan Government.

Alistair Burt: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), informed the House on 6 July 2011, Official Report, columns 99-100WS, that the terms of reference and a protocol for the Detainee inquiry's work had been agreed. In a public statement on 5 September 2011, the inquiry confirmed that it would be considering allegations of UK involvement in renditions to Libya as part of its work.
	In line with its protocol the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is co-operating with the Detainee inquiry during its preparatory phase to undertake thorough and rigorous searches to identify any relevant information which the inquiry requests under its terms of reference and to provide it in an efficient manner. The FCO has already passed a substantial amount of background documentation to the Detainee inquiry that is relevant to its terms of reference.

Sri Lanka: Defence Equipment

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which date the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's recent visit to Sri Lanka (a) started and (b) ended; which Sri Lankan Government Ministers and officials he met during the visit; whether the export of military, security and police equipment was discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I arrived in Sri Lanka on 21 February and left on 23 February. The Sri Lankan Government members I met were Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris. I also met with members of the Tamil National Alliance and the United National Party. The export of military, security and police equipment was not discussed.

Yemen: UN Resolutions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take at the UN and with his international counterparts following the UN Security Council resolution calling for President Saleh to transfer power to his deputy in the Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The recent UN Security Council Resolution on Yemen is an important step in increasing international pressure on President Saleh to begin political transition. We are looking at all available options on what we can do to further increase international pressure. We hope to see positive political action in Yemen in the 30 days before the UN Secretary-General is due to report on implementation of the resolution. Alongside our EU, United States and regional partners, we will continue to put pressure on all sides to reach a political settlement as soon as possible, on the basis of the Gulf Co-operation Council initiative. A transitional Government of National Unity can then begin to address Yemen's serious humanitarian, economic and security challenges.

TREASURY

Bank of England: Correspondence

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish (a) each item of correspondence and (b) minutes of meetings between his Department and the Bank of England on credit easing.

Mark Hoban: HM Treasury is engaging with the Bank of England on credit easing as part of routine government business. There are currently no plans to publish items of correspondence and minutes of meetings between HM Treasury and the Bank of England.

Council Tax

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to compensate councils which experience funding losses which occur in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15, as a result of the freeze on council tax.

Danny Alexander: The Government's offer is a one-off grant, paid at the end of 2011-12, for local authorities that decide to freeze their council tax again in 2012-13. Local authorities can choose when they spend this grant, and therefore how they profile it to help manage budgets in 2012-13 and beyond. No further funding is being provided to support the freeze offer.

Economic Situation: EU Countries

Richard Drax: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that no further funding from the public purse is provided in financial assistance to the eurozone.

Mark Hoban: The Government have made clear their view that responsibility for sorting out the problems of the euro area ultimately rests with euro area Governments.
	The UK's exposure to euro area financial assistance packages is through the IMF, a bilateral loan to Ireland (reflecting the important economic relationship between Britain and Ireland), and the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM).
	The EFSM was established by the ECOFIN Council of 9 May 2010. This is a commitment that was entered by the previous Government.
	The December European Council agreed that a permanent mechanism to safeguard the financial stability of the euro area as a whole (European Stability Mechanism—ESM) will be established by ‘the member states of the euro area’ from 2013. This mechanism will replace the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the EFSM. The Government have ensured that the UK will not be part of the ESM.
	In addition, the Prime Minister sought and received commitments that once the ESM comes into existence, Article 122(2), on which basis the EFSM was established, will no longer be used for such purposes.

Financial Services: EU Law

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what European legislation and regulations have been passed affecting the UK financial services sector in each of the last five years; and what legislative proposals are being considered in the EU that may affect the UK financial services sector.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 24 October 2011
	All European legislation and regulations, including in each of the last five years, are publically available for free on the European Union law website, EUR-Lex,
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/
	Legislative proposals for the financial services sector which are currently being considered in the co-decision process includes regulations and directives covering Short Selling, European Market Infrastructure, Capital Requirements, Markets in Financial Instruments, Market Abuse, Deposit Guarantee Schemes, Investor Compensation Schemes, Mortgages, Transparency, and a Financial Transaction Tax.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the Government plans to use funds from general taxation to provide the initial capitalisation of the Green Investment Bank if he does not raise the required funding from the sale of Government assets;
	(2)  what progress has been made on identifying the assets the Government plans to sell to raise funds for the initial capitalisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Chloe Smith: The Government are considering a range of possible asset sales to fund the Green Investment Bank. To give information on individual asset sales or expected proceeds from those sales would prejudice the Government's commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales they are considering will be sufficient to provide the £2 billion target.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 27 September in respect of a constituent, reference 18724/2011.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the hon. Member.

National Insurance Contributions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the annual revenue yield from employee national insurance contributions; and what proportion of that yield is derived from each age group.

David Gauke: The amount of employee national insurance contributions payable in respect of the 2009-10 tax year was £38.2 billion. The proportion of this yield derived from each age group is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Employee age group Proportion of employee NICs  (percentage) 
			 Under 20 1 
			 20-30 17 
			 30-40 27 
			 40-50 30 
			 50-60 21 
			 Above 60 4 
		
	
	Estimates are based on a 1% sample of NICs and PAYE service data.

Private Finance Initiative

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he proposes to take in respect of reform of the private finance initiative; and what timetable he has set for this work.

Danny Alexander: The Government have already taken a number of significant steps to improve the cost effectiveness and transparency of PFI; for example, abolishing PFI credits at the spending review 2010 to create a level playing field for all forms of public procurement; introducing new assurance and approval arrangements in April 2011 to strengthen the approval process of all projects; and, in July 2011, including PFI liabilities in the unaudited Whole of Government Accounts to improve transparency. In addition, the Government have announced a plan to deliver £1.5 billion of savings from the existing stock of PFI contracts in England.
	The Government are considering further measures to reform PFI and improve the way in which private finance is used to deliver public infrastructure.

Private Sector: Job Creation

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that statistics to show how many of the additional jobs in the private sector that were previously in the public sector are collected.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 25 October 2011
	The independent Statistics Authority has powers to produce statistics, provide statistical services and promote statistical research. It provides the top level of governance for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), replacing the oversight role previously performed by HM Treasury Ministers.
	HM Treasury, along with other users of statistics, may steer the work of the ONS by contributing to consultations and user groups.
	The ONS publishes quarterly statistics on public sector employment, including levels of employment in the public and private sectors. The latest release can be found at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_232222.pdf

Public Expenditure

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of which Government Departments have accrued underspends in 2011-12 to date;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of departmental underspend in 2011-12 to date.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 29 November which will include figures for expected departmental expenditure in 2011-12. The Treasury does not publish a separate assessment of underspends.
	Information on departmental underspends are published annually in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper, available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pes_peowp.htm

Public Sector: Pay

Claire Perry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) male and (b) female public sector workers earning less than £21,000 per year in work forces under Ministerial control he estimates will receive a pay increase of at least £250 in 2011-12.

Danny Alexander: When considering the equalities impact of the public sector pay freeze, the Treasury calculated the gender distribution of all public sector workers earning less than the full time equivalent of £21,000. The results, which are based on data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings published by the Office for National Statistics, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Female Male 
			 Total public sector 65.5 34.5 
			 Proportion earning less than £21,000 (Full Time Equivalent) 77.6 22.4 
			 Proportion earning more than £21,000 (Full Time Equivalent) 58.4 41.6 
		
	
	These figures suggest that a majority of those benefiting from the Government's policy of protecting those earning less than £21,000 will be female.
	The Treasury did not calculate how many workers under ministerial control earn less than £21,000 as it is not possible to separate this subset of workers from the data.

Social Mobility

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to improve social mobility; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Government's Social Mobility Strategy “Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility” was published in April 2011.
	As the Social Mobility Strategy set out, fairness is a fundamental value of the coalition Government. The strategy aims to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
	Through the spending review and Budgets, the Treasury has worked with other Government Departments to allocate the funds necessary for them to make progress on their commitments to social mobility.
	We are also raising the personal allowance tax threshold to £10,000. The June 2010 Budget announced a £1,000 increase in the income tax personal allowance from £6,475 in 2010-11 to £7,475 in 2011-12. A further £630 increase in the personal allowance was announced in Budget 2011, taking it to £8,105 in 2012-13. Together these increases will benefit 25 million individuals, and take 1.1 million low income individuals out of tax from April 2012.

Stocks and Shares

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure the regulation of Exchange Traded Funds.

Mark Hoban: Exchange Traded Funds are regulated by the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities (UCITS) Directives. UCITS provides a harmonised EU regulatory framework for collective investment schemes designed to ensure these products are appropriate for retail investors.
	The Government are aware of the recent developments in the Exchange Traded Funds industry and the concerns around the suitability of some of these products for retail investors. The Government believes that it is important for the UCITS brand that products sold under the UCITS Directive are suitable for retail investors. We are working closely with the Financial Services Authority and Bank of England to analyse the risks associated with these products and consider what regulatory responses may be necessary.

Taxation

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of taxpayers who will enter the higher rate tax band as a result of receipt of London weighting payments in each London borough in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

Taxation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to modernise and simplify the tax system.

David Gauke: The Government are taking action to modernise and simplify the tax system. A modern tax system should be efficient, predictable, simple, and fair. The Government have made a number of improvements to the way in which they make tax policy, with consultation on policy design and scrutiny of draft legislative proposals as the cornerstones. Further details may be found online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_policy_making_new_approach.htm
	Specific steps to modernise the tax system include greater use of online filing by HM Revenue and Customs, and publication of the Government's Corporate Tax Road Map, which is accessible online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/corporate_tax_reform.htm
	In this document the Government have set out how they are reforming the business tax system to reflect the way that companies operate in a global marketplace.
	The Government established the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on 20 July 2010 to provide independent advice on simplifying the UK tax system. Following the OTS review of the number and complexity of tax reliefs, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in Budget 2011 his decision to abolish 43 tax reliefs. As part of the second stage of its review of small business tax, the OTS will look at improving tax administration for small business, with recommendations to the Government for Budget 2012.

Taxation: Property

Jo Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking in respect of property transactions that are not recorded by the Land Registry or subject to a property tax.

Chloe Smith: Land transactions should be recorded at the Land Registry, unless land law does not require such an entry in the register.
	Stamp duty land tax due on transfers at £125,000 or less (residential) or £150,000 or less (non-residential) is charged at 0% and transactions at £40,000 or less do not require a return. The Government have no plans to change the lower thresholds or return requirements at this time.
	HMRC are able to compare their records with those of Land Registry in order to identify transactions where a land transaction return should have been received but has not been, or where the stamp duty land tax due may have been under-declared.

VAT: Tourism

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an assessment of the merits of reducing the rate of VAT for tourism products in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: No assessment has been made as the data to make such an assessment are not collected.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date she expects to have implemented a minimum price for alcohol.

James Brokenshire: In January 2011 the Government announced their intention to ban the sale of alcohol below the cost of duty plus VAT. Subject to parliamentary procedures the ban will come into force on 6 April 2012. It will be a new condition of the Mandatory Code of Practice in the Licensing Act 2003. The policy will apply to all alcohol retailers in England and Wales.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to (a) reduce binge drinking and (b) end the sale of alcohol at low cost.

James Brokenshire: There are a number of measures already in place to combat binge drinking. Among the measures introduced in the Mandatory Code of Practice of the Licensing Act 2003 is a ban on irresponsible promotions and a requirement that smaller measures of drinks are available. The Mandatory Code also requires that free tap water is provided on request to customers where reasonably available.
	The Government are also bringing in a number of measures in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act to give local communities the tools and powers they need to tackle late night problems associated with alcohol.
	In January 2011 the Government announced their intention to ban the sale of alcohol below the cost of duty plus VAT. The policy will apply to all alcohol retailers in England and Wales that sell alcohol for consumption on and off the premises.

Animal Experiments

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to strengthen her Department's existing regulations when transposing European Directive 2010/63/EU on protection of animals used for scientific purposes into UK law; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The principal objective for the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes is to comply with UK Treaty obligations to transpose the provisions of the new directive into UK legislation fully and appropriately. Where this requires the strengthening of current legislation we will do so. Article 2 to the new directive allows member states to retain stricter national provisions in force on 9 November 2010.
	The recent public consultation on the options for transposition of the new directive which closed on 5 September 2011 sought views on which measures should be retained in United Kingdom legislation using Article 2. We are now analysing the responses to the consultation and will announce decisions on options in due course.

Animal Experiments

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on the frequency of (a) inspections and (b) use of restrictions on the use of cats, dogs and horses for scientific experimentation of the transposition into UK Law of the EU Directive on the protection of animals used in scientific procedures.

Lynne Featherstone: The public consultation on the options for transposition of the European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes invited views on the system of inspection which would best meet UK needs and the absence of special protection for cats, dogs and equidae for scientific experimentation.
	We are now analysing the responses to the public consultation on the options for transposition. This will include the frequency of inspections of establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and restrictions on the use of cats, dogs and horses for scientific experimentation. We will publish a summary report by the end of 2011.

Animal Experiments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Government will be carrying out the thematic review process outlined in EU Directive 2010/63/EU; and when she expects the review of specific experiments involving animals with a view to replacement with non-animal methods to begin.

Lynne Featherstone: Article 58 of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes requires the Commission to conduct periodic thematic reviews where appropriate of the replacement, refinement and reduction of the use of animals in procedures, paying specific attention to non-human primates, technological developments and new scientific and animal welfare knowledge. The Commission is to conduct these periodic thematic reviews in consultation with member states and other stakeholders.
	We strongly support the requirement for periodic thematic reviews and the United Kingdom contribution to the review will be considered at the appropriate time when consulted by the Commission.

Counter-terrorism

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on delivery of the Prevent Strategy.

James Brokenshire: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues.

Counter-terrorism: Finance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was allocated to groups working to prevent right-wing extremism and terrorism in the financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

James Brokenshire: The new Prevent strategy published earlier this year addresses all forms of terrorism, including right wing terrorism. But it is clear that Prevent work must be targeted against those forms of terrorism assessed to pose the greatest risk to our national security. Currently, the greatest threat comes from al-Qaeda, and those they inspire.
	The Home Office did not allocate funds in either of these financial years to any groups specifically to prevent right-wing terrorism or extremism. Some police forces may have directly engaged groups specifically to prevent right-wing extremism.

Crime: Disability

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government Equalities Office is taking to prevent disability hate crime.

Lynne Featherstone: Hate crime, including targeting a person because of their perceived disability, is wholly unacceptable. The Government have been clear that those who commit these sorts of crimes must be challenged and punished.
	Legislation already provides the courts with powers to increase the sentence for any offence aggravated by hostility towards disability, under section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
	However, we are committed to doing more to support and protect victims. That is why the coalition's Programme for Government included a commitment to improve the recording of such crimes.
	Working with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other partners, including disabled people's organisations, we are encouraging the reporting of all hate crime. This will give us a clearer picture of local patterns and trends in disability hate crime, helping the police to target their resources more effectively and ensure better protection for repeat and vulnerable victims.
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission's Inquiry into disability-related harassment sets out a number of recommendations, and we will respond in due course.
	The Government are also considering the recommendations from the recent Equality and Human Rights Commission's Inquiry into disability-related harassment.

Drugs: Misuse

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the effectiveness of the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; and what plans her Department has to draw up another drugs strategy following the drugs strategy it published in 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), receives numerous correspondence on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Drugs are illegal under the Act because they are harmful—they destroy lives and cause untold misery to families and communities.
	The Government's 2010 Drug Strategy is much more ambitious in its approach to drugs under three overarching aims to reduce demand, restrict supply and build recovery in communities. We are committed to reviewing the strategy annually. The first review will be published in March 2012. The current strategy will continue until 2014-15.

Police: Bureaucracy

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of qualified police officers undertaking administrative duties in each London borough between September 2008 and September 2011.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Police: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) specialist domestic violence units and (b) full-time equivalent staff working in specialist domestic violence units there were in each region in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and how many such (A) units and (B) staff were budgeted for in (1) 2012-13, (2) 2013-14 and (3) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 24 October 2011
	The Home Office does not collect information on specialist domestic violence units.
	Specialist domestic violence units are normally based within public protection units in police stations. However, it is for individual police forces to decide whether they have a unit and, if they do, that resources are allocated to it.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers she expects to be operating in London during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Nick Herbert: I understand from the Metropolitan Police Service that it estimates that a maximum of 9,000 police officers will be needed for Games-related duties in London on days of peak demand during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Police community support officers (PCSOs) will continue to work across London during the Games period.
	The overall number of police officers and PCSOs active in London during the summer of 2012 is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Commissioner for the City of London Police, and the relevant police authorities.

Rape: British Nationals Abroad

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information her Department holds on the average length of time taken for rape cases involving a British citizen in which the alleged offence took place outside the UK to reach a conclusion;
	(2)  how many files relating to rape cases (a) involving British citizens overseas and (b) in the UK have been lost by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what information her Department holds on the average length of time taken for the case file for rape cases involving a British citizen in which the alleged offence took place outside the UK to be passed to the other country's police authorities by Interpol in the UK;
	(4)  what information her Department holds on the average length of time taken for cases involving the alleged rape of a British citizen in (a) an EU country and (b) a country outside the EU to reach trial;
	(5)  what information her Department holds on the number of ongoing rape case files which have been lost by Interpol in the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answers 17 and 18 October 2011
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is not aware of any confirmed losses of rape case files by itself or by the Interpol Bureau within SOCA. There is one instance where the original case papers relating to the UK end of an investigation into a sexual offence, alleged to have occurred overseas against a British citizen, were not transferred to the relevant overseas authority. Duplicate case papers have been transferred to the relevant authority in the overseas jurisdiction.
	An investigation, supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, is currently under way into how this apparent failure occurred, including whether the case papers were transferred between the relevant agencies within the UK.
	Since May 2011, UK police forces have been able to send “Transfer of Crime” material, including rape cases, directly to overseas partners on behalf of the Interpol Bureau. Prior to that, such material, initially processed by police forces, was sent through the Interpol Bureau in SOCA. Once received by SOCA cases were normally processed in less than a week. Allegations of rape would be treated as urgent.
	The Home Office does not hold any information on the average length of time taken for cases involving the alleged rape of a British citizen in an EU country or in countries outside the EU to reach trial or a conclusion.

Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for offences related to terrorism with a connection to (a) Islamic extremism, (b) far right extremism and (c) dissident Irish republican groups in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes statistics on arrests and outcomes under the Terrorism Act 2000 (Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Subsequent Legislation: Arrests, Outcomes and Stops and Searches). The relevant statistical bulletin does not record statistics in the way requested, however, data in the current edition of the bulletin does show a breakdown of arrests into International, Domestic and Northern Ireland related terrorism. These data are only recorded from 2005-06 to 2010-11.
	Table 1.07 of the current edition of the statistical bulletin (Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Subsequent Legislation: Arrests, Outcomes and Stops and Searches—published on 13 October 2011) records these offences as follows:
	
		
			 Arrests and charges Arrested: Number or persons 
			 Domestic(1) 138 
			 Northern Ireland related(2) 47 
			 International(3) 1,004 
			 Not classified 32 
			 Grand total 1,221 
			 (1) Far right extremism is recorded in this category. (2) Dissident Republican Groups is recorded in this category. (3) Islamic terrorism is recorded in this category. 
		
	
	Offences under the domestic category refer to terrorist activity where there are no links to either Northern Ireland related or international terrorism.
	Offences under the International category refer to activity by an individual or a group of individuals linked to terrorist groups that are based outside the UK who operate in and from third countries.
	A link to the latest edition of this publication is provided as follows:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/counter-terrorism-statistics/hosb1511/hosb1511?view=Binary

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had about promoting social enterprises within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Information on a significant number of meetings between myself and external organisations, including charities, social enterprises and large, small and medium enterprises is available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/Our-organisation/Ministers
	This information covers meetings held since May 2010.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in his Department are based in Zimbabwe.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department expects to provide to Zimbabwe in 2011-12.

Andrew Mitchell: By 2015, we plan to have created 125,000 new jobs, provided almost 1 million more people with access to clean water, helped 80,000 more children to complete five years of education and given over 700,000 more women access to family planning.
	This assistance is delivered through trusted partners such as UNICEF and the African Development Bank; none of it passes through the Government of Zimbabwe.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) plans to provide £80 million of assistance in 2011-12 which will support a range of development programmes that directly benefit the poorest and most vulnerable Zimbabweans.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Broadband

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential contribution to the creative industries of a high-speed broadband infrastructure in the UK.

Edward Vaizey: There has not been a formal assessment by this Department of the potential contribution of high-speed broadband to the creative industries. However, it is the demand for rich content, delivered quickly and reliably, that is in part driving the uptake of faster broadband, and this will in turn enable the creative sectors to provide the content people want in ever more innovative and attractive ways.
	The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts estimates that the provision of universal super-fast broadband could directly create 600,000 new jobs, with £18 billion added to GDP. The indirect effects could be far larger. California is an economy approximately the size of the UK—it has been estimated that ultra-fast broadband installation there could add $366 billion to economic output and create two million new jobs.

Charitable Donations

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has considered the merits of managing the distribution of donation funding from philanthropists to ensure an even distribution of funds across the regions of England.

Edward Vaizey: No. The entire ethos of philanthropy is built around the relationship between the donor and the cause or institution they support, it is not for Government to seek to mediate that relationship, nor the funds involved. We are instead working to strengthen fundraising skills and boost levels of giving across all regions of England. We have established a £100 million match funding programme to create endowments and cultivate philanthropy. We have introduced new tax measures to incentivise legacy giving and gifts of pre-eminent objects to public collections. We have strengthened public recognition for those who give, including through the honours system. We have arranged master classes across the country by world-leading fundraisers, and we have published a Giving White Paper. All of these measures will benefit the entire country.

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: Since May 2010, the Department has bought no fixed asset with a value of £250,000 or more.

Departmental Manpower

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many civil servants were (a) directly and (b) otherwise employed by non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) in 2000, (ii) in 2005, (iii) in 2007, (iv) in 2010 and (v) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has responsibility for 42 arm's length bodies (ALBs) that help deliver its strategic aims and objectives. The vast majority of those working for such organisations will be public servants rather than civil servants as they do not work directly for the Crown. However, there may be occasions where civil servants are loaned or seconded from their parent Department to work for an ALB for a limited period of time.
	ALBs have authority to recruit according to their individual business requirements. As such, the Department does not hold information relating to the number of civil servants employed by each of its ALBs, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Regulation

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) statutory instruments, (b) ministerial orders and (c) other pieces of secondary legislation were issued by his Department in (i) 1990, (ii) 1995, (iii) each year since 1999 and (iv) 2011 to date.

John Penrose: The number of statutory instruments issued by the Department in the years my hon. Friend has requested can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Total number of statutory instruments 
			 1990 (1)0 
			 1995 16 
			 1999 23 
			 2000 19 
			 2001 17 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 28 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 49 
			 2006 58 
			 2007 65 
			 2008 25 
			 2009 25 
			 2010 24 
			 2011 (2)25 
			 (1 )Department formed in 1992. (2) To date. 
		
	
	No ministerial orders, or other pieces of secondary legislation, have been issued during the years my hon. Friend has requested.

Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he is having with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the role of creative education in (a) colleges and (b) universities in the Government's skills strategy.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly meets with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), to discuss cross-Departmental issues, including the role of creative education in colleges and universities in the Government's skills strategy.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many times his Department's legal section provided legal advice to Ministers in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011.

John Penrose: The Department does not record the number of times the legal team provide advice to Ministers. Advice is provided by departmental legal advisers on an ongoing basis, as and when necessary.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department were working in its legal section in June 2011; and how many staff were working in the legal departments of his Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies.

John Penrose: This Department is invoiced for solicitors from the Treasury Solicitor's Department. In June 2011 there were 20 permanent staff and one temp working in the legal section for this Department and its agency, the Royal Parks.
	We do not hold this information for our arm's length bodies. I have therefore asked their chief executives to consider the question raised by my hon. Friend and to write to him direct. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Lottery Funding: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to promote liaison between Liverpool Vision and the National Lottery Fund for the purposes of increasing funding for the creative and digital sector in Liverpool.

Edward Vaizey: Decisions on lottery funding are a matter for the individual lottery distributing bodies, acting independently of Government. Although I have no current plans to promote meetings of this kind, all lottery distributors engage with the sectors that they seek to fund, and provide opportunities for such engagement. According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's lottery grants database, which uses information provided by lottery distributors, and is searchable at:
	http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	Liverpool has received £14 million in lottery funding in the last two years.

Museums and Galleries: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has considered taking steps to protect museums in Teesside that are under threat of closure arising from local authority spending reductions.

Edward Vaizey: Decisions on the funding of local authority museums are made at the discretion of local authorities, and central Government cannot prescribe how these decisions might be made. However, the Teesside museums receive funding through the Renaissance in the Regions programme, central Government's major funding programme for regional museums.
	Until 2010-11, the Teesside museums received funding as part of the Hartlepool Museums' North East Renaissance Hub. This funding stream has now ended but the museums will continue to receive funding during 2011-12 as part of the transition to the new model of Renaissance funding which will come into place in April 2012.
	From 2012-13 Renaissance funding will continue to contribute to Teesside museums through museum development support and national projects, and they will be eligible to apply for museum's strategic funds.
	The Arts Council, in its museum development role, will work with local authorities to try and ensure people in the Tees valley have access to great museums. In addition, the Arts Council will continue to fund Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art as a National Portfolio Organisation.

Tourism: Manpower

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people were employed in the (a) creative industries, (b) tourism industry and (c) heritage industry on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: The Creative Industries Economic Estimates, December 2010, indicates that there are 1.3 million jobs in the creative industries and 2.3 million including other creative jobs in other industries:
	http://www.dcms.gov.uk/images/research/CIEE_Full_Release_Dec2010.pdf
	The latest Office for National Statistics figures show that tourism directly supports 1.74 million jobs:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/elmr/tourism-satellite-account/2008---the-economic-importance-of-tourism/index.html
	English Heritage's publication "Heritage Counts":
	http://hc.english-heritage.org.uk
	states there are 9,500 people employed in the operation of historic sites and buildings (2009) and 957.5 full-time equivalent historic environment employees in local authorities in 2011. 195,000 jobs are supported by heritage based tourism, according to “Heritage Lottery Fund Investing in success: Heritage and the UK Tourism Economy”:
	http://www.hlf.org.uk/aboutus/howwework/Documents/HLF_Tourism_Impact_single.pdf

UK Film Industry

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many apprentices are working in the UK film industry.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not hold this information, although we are aware of the successful apprenticeship scheme run by Pinewood Film studios. From statistics collated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), we are aware that in 2009-10, 30 people started apprenticeships in the ‘Creative and Digital Media' apprenticeship framework. Apprenticeship data held by BIS is collected and reported by apprenticeship framework rather than sector.

UK Film Industry

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people were employed in the UK film industry in (a) 1997, (b) 2007 and (c) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: The British Film Institute (BFI) publishes the number of people employed in the UK film industry within its Statistical Yearbook. The most recent of which was published on 1 August 2011 and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/stats/BFI-Statistical-Yearbook-2011.pdf
	According to the yearbook, the following numbers of people were employed in the UK film industry in (a) 1997, (b) 2007 and (c) 2010 (the most recent date for which figures are available).
	
		
			  Number employed 
			 1997 38,592 
			 2007 41,343 
			 2010 48,487

DEFENCE

Enterprise Zones

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss the enterprise zone bid for Lancashire; and when such discussions took place.

Peter Luff: Ministry of Defence officials had discussions with officials in other Government Departments—including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills—on the proposal to establish an enterprise zone in Lancashire prior to its announcement in October this year.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters have been damaged on landing in Afghanistan.

Peter Luff: Since 2006, 42 UK helicopters have been damaged on landing in Afghanistan. Information prior to 2006 was not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In all cases where aircraft suffer damage, the helicopter fleet is carefully managed to ensure that tasking continues to be met in accordance with operational priorities.

BAE Systems

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect on apprentices at BAE Systems of redundancies in that company.

Peter Luff: Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) on a range of issues, including on the defence industry. The details of commercial decisions and their impacts on specific groups of employees are matters for the companies concerned. MOD Ministers have discussed the assistance BIS might offer with their counterparts on a number of occasions, although the decisions are for BIS Ministers to determine.

Business Interests

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to encourage tendering for his Department's contracts by manufacturers based in the UK.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s first responsibility when procuring equipment is to provide the armed forces with the capabilities they require in an affordable and sustainable way. This is best achieved through open competition on the global market.
	Nevertheless, the MOD recognises that a vibrant and self sustaining UK-based Defence industry brings benefit both to the UK armed forces and the economy as a whole. We will publish a White Paper on technology, equipment, and support for UK defence and security later this year. This will set out the Government's approach on these issues, including building on progress already made at making defence and security opportunities more accessible to a wider range of UK suppliers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.

Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Contracts Finder went live on 1 January 2011 and the ability to advertise contract opportunities was added on 31 March 2011. Statistics for contracts advertised are available from 31 March 2011 onwards, and are given in the following table. Due to these being contract opportunities, values are expressed within ranges.
	
		
			 Number advertised 
			  Sub Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) contracts (£10,000 to £101,323) OJEU Opportunities (£101,323 to £400 million and above) 
			 April 12 25 
			 May 23 28 
			 June 49 24 
			 July 17 22 
			 August 21 35 
			 September 34 19 
			 October 4 18 
		
	
	Since 1 January 2011 32 sub-OJEU contracts have been recorded as being awarded to Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The award of contracts to third sector organisations is not captured.
	The Ministry of Defence's OJEU contract opportunities are published in the Tenders Electronic Daily portal (the on-line version of Supplement S to the OJEU containing calls for competitions and award notices), which feeds into Contracts Finder. Tenders Electronic Daily does not capture whether contracts are awarded to third sector organisations or SMEs.

Cyber-Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: As we set out in the strategic defence and security review, we attach a high priority to the cyber-defence of our systems. Our forces depend on computer networks, both in the UK and on operations around the world, but our adversaries present an advanced and rapidly developing threat to these networks.
	We have established a new global operations security control centre to co-ordinate cyber defence of our systems and we have commissioned a new monitoring system to detect cyber-attacks against our systems. In addition, we are establishing the Defence Cyber Operations Group (DCOG). The group will mainstream cyber security throughout the Ministry of Defence and ensure the coherent integration of cyber activities across the spectrum of Defence operations.

Horn of Africa: Piracy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on anti-piracy measures off the Horn of Africa in each of the last three years; and what information his Department holds on spending by (a) NATO and (b) the EU in the same period.

Peter Luff: Anti-piracy measures off the Horn of Africa are among a number of concurrent tasks carried out by the Royal Navy and supporting assets. Expenditure incurred on counter-piracy measures is not identified separately.
	The common costs (ie costs shared by NATO and EU members, which are additional to the national contribution to the operation) for anti-piracy measures off the Horn of Africa in the last three years for NATO and the EU are as follows:
	
		
			 NATO counter-piracy 
			  Common cost (€ million) 
			 2009 0.327 
			 2010 0.568 
			 2011 0.850 
		
	
	
		
			 EU—Operation Atalanta 
			  Common funding budget cost (€ million) 
			 2009 8.3 
			 2010 8.8 
			 2011 7.8

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many maritime assets were used in Operation Kipion; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: As of 18 October 2011, the maritime assets deployed in support of Operation Kipion were as follows.
	Type 23s
	HMS Somerset
	HMS St Albans
	HMS Argyll
	Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMV)
	HMS Middleton
	HMS Ramsey
	HMS Quorn
	HMS Pembroke
	Royal Fleet Auxiliaries (RFAs)
	RFA Lyme Bay—Landing ship dock
	RFA Fort Victoria—Replenishment ship
	RFA Wave Knight—Fast Fleet Tanker
	RFA Diligence—Forward Repair Ship
	Survey Vessel
	HMS Echo
	The SSN(T) submarines are also deployed periodically in support of Operation Kipion.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many maritime assets were utilised from each platform during Operation TELIC in each year between 2005 and 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The number of individual maritime assets, by platform, deployed in the Gulf region over the years 2005 to 2010 are given in the following table. The units would have had a number of tasks at different times including Operation TELIC, supporting our international partners as part of our contribution to Gulf security, and counter piracy activities.
	
		
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Carrier 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			 T42 Destroyer 2 1 1 2 0 0 
			 T23 Frigate 3 5 4 8 7 6 
			 T22 Frigate 2 0 2 3 2 2 
			 MCMV(1) 0 3 3 5 5 4 
			 LPH(2) 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 LPD(3) 1 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Survey Vessel 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 RFA(4)—Supply Ship 0 0 l 1 0 1 
			 RFA—Fast Fleet Tanker 1 1 1 2 3 1 
			 RFA—Forward Repair 1 1 0 1 1 1 
			 RFA—Landing Ship Dock 0 0 1 1 2 1 
			 PCRF(5) 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 (1) Mine Counter Measure Vessel. (2) Landing Platform Helicopter. (3) Landing Platform Dock. (4) Royal Fleet Auxiliary. (5) Primary Casualty Receiving Facility. 
		
	
	Fleet submarines were also deployed periodically in the Gulf region.

Old Drill Hall

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 868W, on Old Drill Hall, whether his Department had title to the Weymouth Drill Hall prior to its sale in 1994.

Andrew Robathan: At the time of the sale it was understood that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) had title to the Old Drill Hall, Weymouth. The sale was registered by the Land Registry as in MOD ownership.

RAF Lossiemouth

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 878, on military bases, when he expects the more detailed planning for RAF Lossiemouth support for Typhoon operations to be complete.

Nick Harvey: The detailed planning for RAF Lossiemouth support for Typhoon operations is currently expected to be complete in 2012.

Syria: Military Aid

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the UK has provided any support to Syria in respect of (a) internal security training, (b) public order training and (c) sniper training since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The UK has not provided any support to Syria in respect of internal security training, public order training or sniper training since May 2010.

JUSTICE

Alternative Business Structures

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to lay before Parliament legislative proposals to designate the Solicitors Regulation Authority as a licensing authority for alternative business structures.

Jonathan Djanogly: The order to designate the Law Society as a licensing authority for alternative business structures can only be made once there is a body in place with the power to hear appeals against its licensing decisions. Subject to parliamentary approval of the draft order to establish the appeals mechanism, I expect the designation order to be laid in time for the Law Society (via its regulatory arm, the Solicitors Regulation Authority) to become a licensing authority by the new year.

Crime: Victims

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve services provided by the police for victims of crime.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are determined to ensure that services for victims are effective, efficient and easily accessible and are currently undertaking a review of victims' services and compensation. This work includes looking at the effectiveness of the Victims Code, which applies to the police as well as to other criminal justice agencies. We will consult on our proposals later this year.
	Despite substantial pressures on Government spending we have maintained funding of approximately £50 million to the victims’ voluntary sector this year.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much criminal injuries compensation was paid to convicted offenders in 2010-11.

Jonathan Djanogly: Out of a total of £271.6 million paid by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in 2010-11, at least £15.2 million was paid to people with unspent convictions. These figures only reflect cases where CICA reduced the award due to unspent convictions, which the current compensation scheme says they must do. But there are cases still being considered under previous schemes that did not make such reductions compulsory, so the real figures are likely to be higher.

Interpreters

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what standards in respect of qualifications or experience of individuals providing interpretation services for his Department (a) are applied at present and (b) were applied in October 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The qualifications and experience required for individuals providing interpreting services are the same now as they were in October 2010. That is, wherever possible, interpreters should be registered on the National Register for Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). To gain registration, they must be able to demonstrate they are qualified in accordance with the entrance requirements of NRPSI.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what definition of domestic violence his Department uses; and whether there are any qualifications of that definition in respect of particular services and processes for which his Department is responsible.

Jonathan Djanogly: As a member of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Violence Against Women and Girls, the Ministry of Justice supports the general definition of domestic violence as agreed by that group in 2004, which is:
	“any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.”
	This current cross-government definition is also quoted in the guidance manual for Specialist Domestic Violence Court systems for partners, including the independent domestic violence advisers, to determine how they will identify domestic violence cases.
	Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996 which provides for civil remedies against domestic violence, does not specifically use the term “domestic violence”. Under that legislation, orders can be obtained to protect a person “associated” with the alleged perpetrator from “molestation”. Molestation is not defined but covers a wide range of conduct including but not limited to physical violence (for example, it would include pestering and harassing a person). “Associated persons” is defined in the Act and covers a very wide range of relationships, including “intimate personal relationships” of significant duration.
	Similarly, the pre-application protocol for family mediation information and assessment meetings which came into effect on 6 April simply sets out that if a client has made an allegation of domestic violence (ie they have been subjected to any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse be it psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) against another party and this has resulted in a police investigation or the issuing of civil proceedings for the protection of any party within the last 12 months then that client will be exempt from the need to attend a mediation information and assessment meeting.
	The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill employs a broad definition of "abuse" in providing for legal aid to be available for private family law cases involving domestic violence or child abuse, and for cases relating to abuse of a child or vulnerable adult. The definition in the Bill would not exclude from scope any of the types of abuse covered by the general definition of domestic violence agreed by the Inter-Ministerial Group. To avoid creating an incentive for false allegations, applicants for funding will be required to provide objective evidence of domestic violence, as set out in the Government's response to the consultation “Proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales”. The circumstances that would be accepted as evidence of abuse will turn on the application by the courts, prosecutors and other agencies of their existing criteria.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) domestic violence abuse programmes are designed for adult male offenders who are or were in intimate heterosexual relationships when the violence or abuse occurred. "Violence" in this context means any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) and in this context an intimate relationship means a sexual relationship.

Insolvency: EU Action

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the merits of amending the proposed EU Regulation creating a European Account Preservation Order to (a) widen the exemption granted to proceedings relating to the winding-up of insolvent companies to include businesses in any collective insolvency proceeding as set out in the European Insolvency Regulation, (b) ensure that the provision of a security deposit by the claimant is a requirement in every case rather than a matter left to the discretion of the granting court and (c) enable a business subject to a European Account Preservation Order to challenge the order in a court in their own jurisdiction rather than applying to the granting court.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government's decision about whether to opt in to this proposal will be announced shortly. Whether or not the Government decide to opt in at this point the UK will still be active in the negotiations. The Government do intend to seek the exemption of businesses in any collective insolvency proceeding as set out in the EU Insolvency Regulation; they believe that the discretion of courts with regard to security should be reduced and wish to align this provision more with the current procedure in England and Wales where there is a presumption of the provision of security unless a court considers in the circumstances of the case that it is inappropriate; and they will also seek to widen the category of defendants who can challenge orders in a court in their own jurisdiction.

Insolvency: EU Action

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of the proposed EU Regulation creating a European Account Preservation Order on the UK's business rescue culture.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government are aware from the results of their recent consultation that the Commission's proposal could, if implemented in their current form, have a significant effect on those companies in the process of business rescue. Measures to improve the protection of companies in financial distress will be one of the Government's priorities during the negotiations.

Kennet Prison

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to convert HMP Kennet to a category D prison.

Crispin Blunt: NOMS are committed to making the most effective use of the estate to support prisoners' needs and are continuing to develop our approach to managing the prison population to deliver this. Any decisions on the future role of establishments, including Kennet, will be taken with regard to this.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what targets for reducing re-offending will result in a payment to investors or operators in each of the payment by results pilots in operation;
	(2)  what outcome is being measured in each of the payment by results pilots in operation.

Crispin Blunt: The information is as follows:
	(i) For the Social Impact Bond at HMP Peterborough, the Government, together with the Big Lottery Fund, will pay for results if the frequency of reconviction events for <12 month sentenced prisoners released from HMP Peterborough falls by 10% in one of the three 1,000-offender cohorts, or by an aggregate of 7.5% across the three cohorts together, compared to matched control groups. If these thresholds are not achieved, no payment will be made. The frequency of reconviction events is the number of times an offender is convicted at court during the 12 months following release from prison.
	(ii) The success criteria adopted for the pilot at HMP Doncaster is a binary measure based on offenders' proven reoffending. Reoffending will be measured using the reconviction rate, which is defined as the percentage of offenders that commit an offence during the 12 months following discharge from HMP Doncaster, and which is proved by a court conviction during this period or in the subsequent six months.
	Once the results from each year of the pilot are available, Serco will only be able to retain 100% of the annual contract value if the one-year reconviction rate for that year has been reduced by at least five percentage points against an agreed baseline, determined by the 2009 reoffending data for the prison.
	If this target is not met, 10% of the contract price will be reclaimed by the Ministry of Justice. If the target is exceeded, Serco will receive an additional payment for each extra percentage point reduction, up to a maximum reduction of 10 percentage points.
	(iii) We are running Local Justice Reinvestment pilots in Greater Manchester and in five London boroughs for two years—these pilots are also referred to as Local Approaches to Payment by Results. No payments will be made to the test areas unless demand on the justice system, measured through Ministry of Justice agencies, falls by 5% or 10% against baseline for adult and youth systems respectively. The reduction in demand will be calculated according to a series of demand metrics at the end of each year of the two-year pilot, and used to determine any payments to the pilot areas.

Police Stations: Prison Accommodation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) police station and (b) court cells meet minimum health and safety standards for use during Operation Safeguard;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure that police station and court cell usage during Operation Safeguard meets health and safety standards;

Crispin Blunt: Contingency accommodation in police or court cells is required when the size or distribution of the prison population is such that it can no longer be managed within available prison capacity. There are no plans to activate these contingencies, but in the event that this accommodation was required, all cells would be required to meet minimum health and safety standards. The providers of the accommodation would be responsible for local operating procedures to maintain these cells at a level meeting health and safety standards.

Prison: Probation

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 31WS, on prison and probation services, what the estimated cost is of the market testing process for each of the nine prisons selected for market testing; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: It is not possible to provide the information requested at this time as the detailed costs are dependent upon the Procurement Strategy which is yet to be finalised. Our financial planning is based on the last phase of prison competitions. We estimate that it will cost £2.86 million to compete HMP Birmingham, HMP Buckley Hall and HMP Doncaster, with a financial benefit to the public of £216 million over the 15 year life of the contracts.

Prisoners: Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the process of allocating the levy on prisoner's earnings to Victim Support complied with EU regulations on commissioning.

Crispin Blunt: Yes.

Prisons

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners convicted of (a) murder and (b) rape are housed in category D prisons; and whether he plans to increase the number of such prisoners in category D prisons.

Crispin Blunt: As at 30 June 2011, the most recent available data, there were (a) 332 and (b) 59 prisoners under sentence for murder and rape respectively in category D prisons in England and Wales. These figures include those held in open prisons/YOIs and the relevant parts of multi-site establishments. It does not include those held in semi-open prisons or in small (under 50 place) open units at closed prisons.
	The numbers of such prisoners held in category D/open conditions will depend on how many of those prisoners pass the necessary robust risk assessment and the availability of spaces in the open prison estate at any one time.
	All murderers and many serious sexual offenders will be serving indeterminate sentences. Depending on the minimum sentence or “tariff” and the risk they pose, such prisoners, move through their sentence via a series of progressive transfers into lower security establishments in the closed prison estate. The decision to transfer indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs) to open conditions is a categorisation decision which is a matter for the Secretary of State for Justice. The Secretary of State may take this decision after seeking advice from the Parole Board or executively where the prisoners have demonstrated exceptional progress in closed conditions.
	Indeterminate sentence prisoners are normally considered for recategorisation to open conditions no earlier than three years before the end of their tariff.
	Moving indeterminate sentence prisoners to open conditions is an important part of the offender's rehabilitation. It tests their suitability for eventual release whilst still maintaining many of the restrictions of a closed prison. Should the offender's behaviour in open conditions give rise to concerns, he/she can be returned to closed conditions.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has recently implemented measures to reduce delays in the process of moving indeterminate sentence prisoners to open conditions where such a move has already been approved by the Secretary of State.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: Manpower

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many qualified assistant chief probation officers were employed in each probation trust (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available, (b) in 2008-09, (c) in 2009-10 and (d) in 2010-11;
	(2)  how many administrative and clerical staff were employed in each probation trust (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available, (b) in 2008-09, (c) in 2009-10 and (d) in 2010-11;
	(3)  how many qualified (a) probation officers and (b) probation service officers were employed in each probation trust on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The figures requested are provided in the following tables.
	Figures are not available on the number of qualified probation officers performing an assistant chief officer role. Figures provided for assistant chief officers therefore relate to all assistant chief officers.
	All probation areas became probation trusts by 1 April 2010; this included a number of areas merging to become trusts. Two tables have therefore been provided that show snapshots of staff in post before and after the mergers. Surrey and Sussex submitted merged data one month before their merger; figures provided for them for 2009-10 are therefore merged.
	Data were unavailable for some areas/trusts within the periods in question due to local technical/staffing issues. Where there are missing data, the latest available figures they submitted at that point in time have been included within the relevant year. This is applicable to Cheshire (September 2008 figures included within the 2008-09 figures); West Mercia (November 2009 figures included within the 2009-10 figures); and Derbyshire (March 2011 figures included within the 2011-12 figures).
	
		
			 Staff in post 2008-09 and 2009-10 (pre-area mergers) 
			  Assistant chief officers Administrative and clerical staff Probation officers Probation services officers 
			 Trust 2008-09 2009-10 2008-09 2009-10 2008-09 2009-10 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 5.90 7.90 125.7 122.30 178.2 163.3 157.1 152.30 
			 Bedfordshire 5.00 3.00 36.57 35.95 63.09 61.04 44.88 47.47 
			 Cambridgeshire 5.00 4.00 58.39 49.15 105.2 105 56.47 54.88 
			 Cheshire 6.80 6.80 87.03 80.41 115.02 111.49 118.03 108.99 
			 Cumbria 3.00 2.00 42.31 39.96 60.1 61.9 41.1 40.10 
			 Derbyshire 4.00 4.00 107.4 88.90 138.8 115.3 130.4 113.40 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6.10 4.00 114.01 92.52 193.42 179.57 88.06 87.19 
			 Dorset 3.00 2.90 53.5 49.20 70.7 70.6 79.5 74.00 
			 Durham 4.68 3.68 54.96 50.79 105.4 107.1 83.21 86.21 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0.00 0.00 49.79 43.09 46.9 43.9 57.63 44.62 
			 Essex 9.80 8.00 121.34 120.62 106.05 101.3 207.92 205.81 
			 Gloucestershire 5.36 3.85 50.29 53.02 50.9 52.11 40.15 32.40 
			 Greater Manchester 14.00 18.00 316.02 327.13 480.56 450.56 286.38 258.88 
			 Gwent 4.00 5.00 67.48 66.73 89.44 85.94 62.7 61.73 
			 Hampshire 0.00 0.00 149.54 129.54 191.1 196.68 188.19 172.44 
			 Hertfordshire 6.00 4.00 58.25 52.89 82.89 79.39 86.7 78.69 
			 Humberside 7.41 5.81 120.48 114.22 158.84 152.02 126.8 111.90 
			 Kent 6.00 5.00 105.21 102.05 161.26 141.72 142.18 101.29 
			 Lancashire 6.00 2.00 113.46 110.14 236.8 219.83 132.14 109.63 
			 Leicestershire 9.02 7.00 109.3 105.75 157.34 158.27 186.37 173.19 
			 Lincolnshire 5.00 4.00 61.88 51.41 72.08 64.88 66.02 66.55 
			 London 35.00 45.00 646.83 1058.09 983.06 1017.37 864.19 329.12 
			 Merseyside 0.00 8.00 172.45 179.76 257.57 265.51 223.26 192.55 
			 Norfolk 4.00 3.00 35.75 31.96 93.05 86.16 138.93 123.40 
			 North Wales 3.00 3.00 62.89 60.31 80.22 90.23 50.86 50.44 
			 North Yorkshire 4.00 4.00 55.81 43.19 79.95 241.03 68.35 39.71 
			 Northamptonshire 4.00 5.00 49.96 47.64 83.32 80.4 96.83 93.38 
			 Northumbria 13.00 13.00 142.76 128.09 270.57 72.15 179.29 179.34 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.00 5.00 155.06 139.57 177.28 174.27 116.51 108.48 
			 South Wales 1.00 3.00 146.65 130.33 197.55 161.79 177.54 160.04 
			 South Yorkshire 10.80 11.00 128.78 129.60 224.13 202.34 182.84 176.14 
			 Staffordshire 0.00 0.00 132.35 113.87 158.5 115.34 91.64 71.44 
			 Suffolk 5.75 4.75 39.83 34.66 91.35 85.29 71.58 67.63 
			 Surrey 3.43 — 72.38 — 71.24 — 84.35 — 
			 Surrey and Sussex (merged data) — 8.80 — 143.20 — 211.51 — 100.73 
			 Sussex 5.80 — 83.9 — 146.6 — 123.69 — 
			 Teesside 4.00 4.00 62.4 60.83 128.08 122.99 98.07 81.60 
			 Thames Valley 6.00 6.00 161.24 156.93 218.9 210.73 253.94 214.41 
			 Warwickshire 6.00 6.00 31.11 29.57 61.24 61.05 38.76 44.33 
			 West Midlands 16.60 18.61 444.72 428.49 467.59 135.46 415.99 394.74 
			 West Mercia 6.00 6.00 103.18 107.37 138.22 436.6 104.16 92.58 
			 West Yorkshire 14.00 8.00 321.3 291.02 359.29 341.3 297.42 287.72 
			 Wiltshire 4.60 3.49 47.81 43.35 62.22 53.01 44.09 40.07 
			 Total 263.05 266.59 5100.07 5243.60 7214.02 6886.43 6104.22 5029.52 
		
	
	
		
			 Staff in post 2010-11 and 2011-12 (post-area mergers) 
			  Assistant Chief Officers Administrative and clerical staff Probation officers Probation services officers 
			 Trust 2010 - 11 2011 - 12 2010 - 11 2011 - 12 2010 - 11 2011 - 12 2010 - 11 2011 - 12 
			 Avon and Somerset 8.90 8.90 112.50 116.20 155.60 149.60 160.20 163.30 
			 Bedfordshire 5.00 5.00 35.37 44.33 55.55 53.85 48.89 50.34 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.60 5.00 48.88 46.90 109.86 107.20 54.61 54.40 
			 Cheshire 6.80 6.80 74.91 76.17 116.12 116.55 90.28 88.89 
			 Cumbria 2.00 3.00 40.55 41.55 57.90 56.30 37.30 46.91 
			 Derbyshire 4.00 4.00 73.20 73.20 109.30 109.30 113.50 113.50 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4.00 4.00 85.11 86.13 171.35 131.29 80.19 116.82 
			 Dorset 3.00 4.00 48.60 44.80 66.70 61.30 72.00 71.00 
			 Durham Tees Valley 8.37 8.37 95.89 93.81 219.30 215.54 163.28 162.62 
			 Essex 8.00 8.00 132.42 129.71 104.90 103.60 202.86 197.55 
			 Gloucestershire 1.85 1.85 42.43 43.69 48.53 47.53 28.55 27.94 
			 Greater Manchester 16.00 14.00 284.20 276.13 440.46 434.05 224.48 225.72 
			 Hampshire 0.00 0.00 117.51 130.63 188.41 194.20 164.49 168.12 
			 Hertfordshire 5.00 5.00 50.98 55.60 78.68 75.58 84.26 80.54 
			 Humberside 3.00 3.00 102.44 96.84 149.40 140.70 106.18 100.12 
			 Kent 4.40 5.40 104.19 104.70 138.48 138.19 103.02 131.23 
			 Lancashire 6.00 6.00 105.51 103.81 221.21 218.25 112.05 114.86 
			 Leicestershire 7.60 7.60 98.37 95.59 148.74 147.53 170.92 167.51 
			 Lincolnshire 5.00 5.00 50.21 48.40 68.63 65.97 63.49 61.80 
			 London 44.00 44.80 1061.94 1060.29 1006.01 989.64 367.24 342.99 
			 Merseyside 8.00 7.00 169.35 168.77 261.13 258.15 192.53 190.55 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk 6.75 6.00 97.69 95.75 169.51 168.86 149.24 151.13 
			 Northamptonshire 3.00 3.00 45.30 45.91 86.16 83.46 90.39 93.30 
			 Northumbria 11.91 11.91 134.63 136.07 228.33 231.43 168.19 167.69 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.03 6.00 122.54 124.43 168.23 170.01 115.91 117.19 
			 South Yorkshire 11.99 10.99 73.10 71.02 248.26 240.04 171.46 166.66 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 18.11 16.11 530.39 521.23 561.00 556.21 470.09 470.06 
			 Surrey and Sussex 7.30 7.50 146.92 151.02 202.35 203.53 100.00 106.11 
			 Thames Valley 5.00 5.00 148.03 147.84 207.98 203.41 199.96 198.06 
			 Wales 13.00 12.00 268.64 262.53 369.16 365.30 304.74 305.07 
			 Warwickshire 4.00 4.00 32.58 33.12 59.52 59.52 41.46 41.81 
			 West Mercia 4.00 4.00 95.82 95.31 118.97 116.41 93.39 91.85 
			 West Yorkshire 7.00 6.88 316.82 316.77 326.67 315.35 306.50 283.88 
			 Wiltshire 3.49 3.49 47.82 47.62 52.45 52.39 27.06 27.20 
			 York and North Yorkshire 4.00 4.00 55.70 53.53 79.65 76.76 59.13 58.74 
			 Total 261.10 257.60 5050.54 5039.40 6794.50 6657.00 4937.84 4955.46

Probation: Training

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training measures he plans to put in place in the event of probation functions being contracted out in England and Wales.

Crispin Blunt: Providers of probation services in England and Wales will be subject to the requirements of the Probation Qualification Framework (PQF) in the same way as Probation Trusts. This means that they will be obliged to provide induction training for all offender facing staff and professional qualification training for Probation Services Officers (PSO), Probation Officers or equivalent staff. The quality of the training will be assessed by the Probation Qualification Assurance Board as part of the contract monitoring process.
	Other training proposals will be scrutinised via the competition process to ensure that staff are competent to deliver services and manage the appropriate level of risk.

Public Service Mutuals

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice is actively exploring opportunities to encourage public service mutuals across its services.
	All such opportunities are being considered within the context of our strategic approach to competition in justice services, as set out in the Offender Services Competition Strategy(1).
	(1 )http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/oscs.htm

Sentencing: Children

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children received an indeterminate sentence in each year since 2000.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons under 18 given a sentence of Detention for Public Protection (introduced in April 2005) or sentenced to life, at all courts, by age group, in England and Wales from 2005 to 2010 (latest available), can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring, 2012.
	
		
			 Number of persons under 18 given a sentence of Detention for Public Protection (DPP) (1, 2) or life at all courts, for all offences, by age group, England and Wales, 2005 to 2010 (3, 4) 
			  Sentence breakdown 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 (5) 2009 2010 
			 Age group DPP Life DPP Life DPP Life DPP Life DPP Life DPP Life 
			 10-11 — — — — — — — — — — 1 — 
			 12-14 2 3 — 1 6 1 2 2 2 1 1 — 
			 15-17 24 25 45 15 55 25 68 23 25 22 39 19 
			 (1) Became available to the courts from April 2005. DPP is an indeterminate sentence available in the Crown court for under 18s. It is the juvenile equivalent of the adult indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP). (2) The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 introduced some changes to DPPs to restrict its use. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Business Interests

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether former employees of the Security Services received approval from the Business Appointments Committee to set up G3; and whether such approval is required for other security work they undertake.

Francis Maude: Equivalent versions of the business appointment rules for civil servants are in place for members of the intelligence agencies which require senior officials to seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. However, in order to protect their identity, the appointments of former members of the security and intelligence agencies are generally not made public, although the appointments of the most senior officials whose identity is already in the public domain have been published on the Committee's website.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the (a) cost, (b) date of commencement and (c) duration of each private finance initiative contract managed by his Department.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has one private finance initiative (PFI) contract which is for the provision of residential training accommodation and serviced office accommodation at Sunningdale Park, Ascot for the National School of Government. This was signed on 23 April 2002. Information on signed PFI projects that were signed prior to 16 March 2011 is available on the Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_pfi_stats.htm
	In addition to listing the project name and responsible Department the information available includes (a) the capital value of the asset and associated unitary charge payments, (b) the date of financial close and (c) the operational period of the contract.
	In addition to the Sunningdale Park contract, the Cabinet Office has a contract for ICT services which, although not a PFI contract under the Treasury definition, is treated as if it is a PFI contract in the Cabinet Office annual published accounts. Details of the contract are on page 223, notes 29.1 and 29.2, of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11, which is available in the House of Commons library and from the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/resource-accounts-2010-11.pdf
	This was signed in June 2007.

Former Prime Ministers: Allowances

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much each former Prime Minister claimed under the public duty costs allowance in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will review the (a) limit and (b) criteria of the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers for the purposes of aligning the scheme with policy on administrative savings in Government Departments.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 October 2011
	The amount claimed by each Prime Minister under the public duty costs allowance for the last five years is listed in the following tables.
	The tables set out how much was claimed for that year. The date the actual payment was made may not be in the same year that the claim relates to.
	
		
			 2006-07 
			  £ 
			 John Major 87,276.00 
			 Margaret Thatcher 96,003.00 
			 Total 183,279.00 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 
			  £ 
			 John Major 90,504.96 
			 Margaret Thatcher 99,554.00 
			 Total 190,058.96 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 
			  £ 
			 John Major 100,204.92 
			 Margaret Thatcher 110,225.00 
			 Tony Blair 169,076.02 
			 Total 379,505.94 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 
			  £ 
			 John Major 103,812.00 
			 Margaret Thatcher 114,193.20 
			 Tony Blair 103,812.00 
			 Total 321,817.20 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  £ 
			 Gordon Brown 83,718.30 
			 Margaret Thatcher 115,045.00 
			 John Major 109,125.00 
			 Total 307,888.30 
		
	
	The public duty costs allowance is kept under review.

Government Departments: Procurement

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which bodies are involved in the Government's Lean Procurement programme.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is working across all central Government Departments on the Lean Procurement programme. Departments are contributing to the development of the new lean sourcing process, testing and refining the process on live procurement projects, and inputting to the design of the supporting training programme.

Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier was of each transaction undertaken by Buying Solutions using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Francis Maude: Transactions undertaken by the Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions) in 2009-10 have been tabulated for ease of reference and deposited in the Library of the House.
	The cost of work required to obtain, contextualise and report the data for the Government Procurement Service for 2007-08 and 2008-09 would exceed the cost limits of a freedom of information request or a parliamentary question.
	The Government Procurement Service will be publishing any transactions over £500 on its website, starting with 2011-12 quarter 1 (April-June) and quarter 2 (July-September) data at the end of October and then on a monthly basis.

Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount and (c) supplier was of each transaction undertaken by his Department using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Francis Maude: This Government are committed to transparency and we believe the information regarding Government Procurement Cards for this financial year is most relevant. Central Government Departments have just published any transactions over £500 on their websites, for 2011-12 Quarter 1 (April-June) data. From now on these will be published on a monthly basis.
	The Cabinet Office plans to publish 2009-10 data later in the financial year. The further cost of work required to obtain, contextualise and report data for the Cabinet Office for 2008-09 and 2007-08 would exceed the cost limits of a freedom of information request of a parliamentary question.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had on promoting social enterprises in the areas for which his Department is responsible in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: As Minister for Civil Society I have had numerous discussions with stakeholders and colleagues in Government on promoting social enterprise.
	Work to grow the social economy, including supporting social enterprises, is being taken forward by the Office for Civil Society within the Cabinet Office.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Work Programme

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone inquiries have been made to Work programme providers in each of the last three months.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information regarding telephone inquiries to Work programme providers and does not require providers to gather or report on this information.

Access to Work Programme

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people are made aware of the Access to Work scheme.

Chris Grayling: Access to Work provides vital support to help disabled people get and keep employment. We want as many disabled people as possible to know this support is available. The recent Sayce review recommended changes that will increase the number of people who are able to benefit from Access to Work and raise awareness about its availability among disabled people and employers. A public consultation following the review has just closed and we will be considering ideas and reactions from that consultation and publishing a statement in due course.
	During the Sayce consultation period two Access to Work events were held, one in Manchester for Third Sector organisations and Access to Work Users and a further meeting in London for employers of disabled people. The attendee list at both events was extensive and featured many recognisable names.
	Also from 9 December 2010, disabled job seekers have been able to find out immediately if they are eligible for Access to Work support by completing a short on-line questionnaire at:
	www.Direct.gov.uk
	If eligible, they are then able to print off a new Pre-Employment Eligibility Letter which will help build their confidence when applying for jobs and can be shown to prospective employers. This delivers the commitments in the coalition programme to reform Access to Work, so that disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already secured for any adaptations and equipment they will need.

Departmental Buildings

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects his Department plans in (i) the current and (ii) the next financial year; and what the cost will be of each such project.

Chris Grayling: The Department occupies the vast majority of its properties under the terms of a 20-year PFI contract with Telereal Trillium, for which it pays a unitary charge in return for fully fitted and serviced accommodation.
	The unitary charge includes works carried out over the life cycle of the accommodation which contain an element of refurbishment that cannot be disaggregated from overall expenditure.
	Some refurbishments are not covered by the unitary charge and are funded separately as capital expenditure. This is because it would not be practical or demonstrate value for money for the taxpayer if the contractor were to price into the unitary charge the potential business change volumes.
	Any business-driven changes to the estate would fall into this category such as in 2010-11, for example, when Jobcentre Plus initiated the Response to the Economic Downturn project, which converted primarily back of the house space to temporary front of the house space in order to support more jobseekers.
	
		
			  £ million Change (percentage) 
			 2009-10 56.9 — 
			 2010-11 17.5 -69.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 5.042 -71.2 
		
	
	The value of all completed or approved for construction building and refurbishment expenditure not covered by the unitary charge for financial year 2011-12 is £5.042 million, a 91% decrease on that for 2009-10. This covered a total of 52 projects. Full details are as follows.
	The 52 projects are proposed and funded by the business unit, e.g. Jobcentre Plus. The business holds the funding and makes the decisions as to which projects are business critical within the funding envelope it holds. The business makes bid submissions for this funding based on its change programme requirements.
	The Department has yet to agree future plans regarding changes to its service delivery and any consequent impact on the estate. Therefore changes to the existing estate beyond the current financial year will be considered when such requirements are known and understood.
	
		
			 Building and Refurbishment Projects 
			 Building name Project name Cost (£) 
			 Duchy House, 96 Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HE Office re-fig 29,365.98 
			 Companies House, Companies House, Cardiff, CF14 3UW Cardiff, Companies Hse—Relocation of 4(th) Flr 22,568.12 
			 Ontario House, 2 Furness Quay, Salford, M50 3XZ Relocation of staff ( Building to be vacated) 20,758.99 
			 Ranger House, 2(nd) and 3(rd) Floors, Guildford, GU1 4US Guildford—Ranger House—Decants from and Vacation of Ranger Hse 13,180.99 
			 Norcross Lane—Block 6 Norcross Lane, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 3TA DAPS Studio 11,671.46 
			 Gregson House, 2 Central Street, St Helens, WA10 1UF Maximise BDC Capacity 2,450.00 
			 Bridge House, 28 Wheldon Road, Castleford, WF10 2JG Castleford Wheldon Road—MEC Alteration Works 458,245.78 
			 Henry Giles House, 73-79 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3BQ Henry Giles House, Cambridge—MEC Relocation Option 2B 264,114.78 
			 Pedmore House, Waterfront East—Level Street, Dudley, DY5 1XA Pedmore House, Dudley—Relocate Staff from Quay House 253,412.18 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—Works to Library 1NW 106,272.56 
			 Eaton House, Eaton Court, Reading, RG1 7LL Reading—Eaton House—MEC 89,912.67 
			 Crown Building, Lincoln Lane, Boston, PE21 8SJ Crown Building, Boston—MSEC Exp—Convert existing JCP BoH office area 82,534.47 
			 Rutland Centre, Yeoman Street, Leicester, LE1 1UU Ruland Centre, Leicester—MSEC Expan—Create 2 Additional Examination R 60,311.40 
			 Albion House, Northway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO12 7AN Scarborough Albion House—Main Project 43,665.24 
			 Pearson Buildings, 57-59 Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, NG1 6AZ Pearson Building, Nottingham—Concertina Room Divider 22,092.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Kings Court, 80 Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF Sheffield Kings Court—Modify G Flr for Universal Credit Team Move to Site 21,073.65 
			 Melbourne House, Melbourne Street/Eastgate, Accrington, BB5 6PU Schedule 28 costs ground floor 18,090.88 
			 Five Ways House, Islington Row, Birmingham, B15 1SL Five Ways House, Birmingham—Landlords Costs from JCP Rollout 10,000.00 
			 Wellesley House, 30 Wellington Road North, Stockport, SK4 1LS Create open plan floor space for 150+ work stations on 1(st) and 3(rd) floors 500.00 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—Installation of CHP SALIX Grant 472,713.21 
			 (York DIE) 1 Leeds City Office Park, 1(st) and 2(nd) and 3(rd) Floors, Leeds LS11 5BD Leeds City One Office Park—Ground Floor Final Solution 1,250,268.35 
			 Quarry House - Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—Pathfinder Phase 2 Flexible Working Budget 513,967.00 
			 Moorfoot, Moorfoot, Sheffield Sheffield Moorfoot—Migration of Staff/churn/re space planning 337,178.00 
			 Argyle House, 3 Lady Lawson Street/38 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, EH3 9SJ Relocation of DWP staff from Argyle House and Fit Out of new Building 213,929.48 
			 High Riggs Job Centre, 20 High Riggs , Edinburgh, EH3 7HU Relocation of Argyle House Payment Facility 135,974.70 
			 Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Caxton House—Resilience upgrade to Comms room 65,200.00 
			 Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA London-Caxton House-Install stand alone A/C unit VC room 3.44 59,699.96 
			 Peel Park Industrial Estate-Bldg 1, Brunel Way, Blackpool, FY4 5ES Supply and fit Glass pods g/f phase 1 58,650.89 
			 Broadlands House, Staplers Road, Newport, PO30 2HX IOW—Newport—Broadlands House—HMRC 51,394.52 
			 Tamarisk House, 1 Cotlands Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3BG Bournemouth—Tamarisk House—MEC 43,097.42 
			 Nutwood House, Military Road, Canterbury, CT1 1ZZ Canterbury—Nutwood House—Creation of Examination Rooms 38,074.66 
			 Great Oaks House, Great Oaks, Basildon, SS14 1JE Great Oaks House, Basildon—Create a Disabled Shower Facility 36,548.20 
			 Building 301, Birchwood Park, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 6XF Birchwood Park Agile areas 34,056.75 
			 Forester House, Becket Street, Derby, DE1 1NW Forester House, Derby—Reconfigure FOH area on Ground Floor 26,420.98 
			 Red Rose House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1NS Office re-fig 24,600.00 
			 Eastgate House, 35-43 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0YP Cardiff, Eastgate House—Works to 1(st) and 2(nd) Floors 23,762.55 
		
	
	
		
			 Fox Court, 14 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8HN London- Fox Court—4(th) floor 3 in 1 19,720.00 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry house—Flexible working proposal Phase 2 18,400.00 
			 Knollys House, 17 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 6SR Croydon—Knollys Hse—Access Control System 15,681.21 
			 Equinox, Island Business Quarter, Nottingham, NG2 4UU Equinox House, Nottingham—Reorganisation of Ground, First and Second Floor 12,708.13 
			 Summerlock House, Summerlock Approach, Salisbury, SP2 7RW Salisbury—Summerlock House—Conference Room 10,037.52 
			 Norcross Lane - Block 7, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3TA VC Suite upgrade 9,111.95 
			 Crown Buildings, Laneham Street, Scunthorpe, DN15 6JT Scunthorpe Crown Buildings—HMRC Works 2nd Floor 8,338.19 
			 York House, 31-36 York Place, Leeds, LS1 2ED Leeds York House—Removal of Wall 5,051.15 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—VC Equipment Upgrade 5,157.03 
			 Cannon Court, High Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 9AQ Lymington - Cannon Court—GIS Room 4,843.78 
			 Equinox, Island Business Quarter, Nottingham, NG2 4UU Equinox House, Nottingham—Window Film Works 3,919.43 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—Reprographics Planning 3,310.89 
			 Griffin House, Bryn Road, Wigan, WN4 8SS Telephony and Processing Implementation Project—Temporary Screens 2,924.59 
			 Griffin House, Bryn Road, Wigan, WN4 8SS Telephony and Processing Implementation Project—Temporary Screens 2,117.88 
			 Steel City House, Steel City House West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ Sheffield Steel City House—European Social Fund Flagpoles 4,698.40 
			 Quarry House—Main Bldg, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA Leeds Quarry House—Relocation of Library 978.69 
			 Total — 5,042,756.66 
		
	
	Leeds Quarry House
	Works to library 1NW (£106,272): Refurbishment of the former library to accommodate the Department of Health (DOH). The works are funded by DOH via DWP to ensure fast track delivery.
	London Caxton House
	Install stand alone A/C unit VC room 3.44 (£59,699): Installation of stand alone A/C unit with local controls in video conference room 3.44. The A/C unit was installed to keep the room at a suitable temperature for the equipment and for a maximum of eight people all day.
	Norcross Lane
	VC suite upgrade (£9,111): New suspended ceiling and lighting, carpet and decoration, removal of asbestos ceiling (ARTEX) to facilitate the works.
	Leeds Quarry House
	VC equipment upgrade (£5,157): National roll-out for the installation of video conferencing. Includes minor room alterations, re-decoration and furniture to comply with client's requirements.
	Leeds Quarry House
	Reprographics planning (£3,310): Installation of additional reprographic machines to minimise costs for photocopying and alike.
	Sheffield Steel City House
	European Social Fund flagpoles (£4,698): Due to relocation of European Social Services into this building two flagpoles were erected outside Steel City House. Flags required were the Union, EU and St George's. We are seeking full reimbursement of the cost of the flag pole from ESF technical assistance money, so the cost will fall to the EU.
	Leeds Quarry House
	Relocation of library (£978): this is linked to the above project (1NW) and as such work is on the behalf of the DOH. This was the structural survey of the area to accommodate the library to ensure it was structurally compliant.

Lost Property

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what actions are at his disposal to take against an employee of his Department who loses a laptop issued by his Department.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions takes data security very seriously. The Department can exercise a range of actions against employees who lose laptops. These range from imposing disciplinary warnings and sanctions to dismissal.
	The DWP Standards of Behaviour policy requires staff to look after departmental equipment and ensure there is no loss or damage. Disciplinary action is taken against employees who breach security policy.
	Since 2007 we have improved data-handling procedures, including minimising the amount of data put on removable media and introducing encryption programmes for data and mobile devices that carry personal protected data. We have also introduced training and education programmes to improve staff awareness of information risks.

Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account his Department takes of (a) socio-economic factors and (b) potential revenues for the Exchequer in the awarding of contracts.

Chris Grayling: The Department considers socio-economic factors in the initial stages of contracting using Sustainable Procurement Risk Assessment Methodology which considers the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), opportunities for apprenticeships, and the implications for diversity and equality as well as for climate change and sustainability. Where relevant and proportionate, appropriate contractual terms are included at contract award to monitor supplier performance in these areas during contract delivery.
	The Department has a policy that supports the UK social and economic agenda by ensuring that DWP jobs are not offshored. In addition the Department's policy also requires that any supplier, either when tendering for contracts or wishing to make changes to arrangements during the life of a contract, has to submit detailed proposals and gain DWP written approval if they have any intention of offshoring work or data.
	DWP supports the Government target of 25% of Government spend via SMEs by 2015. SMEs are considered to have more potential for growth and are more likely to be innovative in contract delivery. The effect of this policy is more employment leading to an increase in taxation revenue for the Exchequer and a reduction in benefit payment.
	The Department's commercial strategy commits to improving Value For Money (VFM) through cost reduction and cost avoidance activity. In line with Cabinet Office policy, pre audit VFM savings for the financial year 2010-11 were £432 million of which £180 million were cash releasing and £252 million related to VFM activity.
	The Department leads on the introduction of frameworks which improve VFM for other Government Departments (OGDs) and also leads on cross-government VFM activity through its Crown Commercial Representative.
	The use of DWP assets by OGDs also saves substantial resources, for example resource management (RM) system which delivers strategic resource management solutions for the Department and OGDs and the customer information system (CIS), an intelligent IT database which generates significant VFM for the Department and OGDs.
	The Department retains ownership of intellectual property rights as part of the standard legal terms and conditions used when contracting. This enables revenue to be generated for the Exchequer (or contract costs reduced) on occasions where it is appropriate for intellectual property rights to be sold. While not directly linked to contracts it awards, the Department also considers raising revenue for the Exchequer by using the Wider Markets Initiative to generate income from its assets, where appropriate.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to deliver the efficiency gains required by HM Treasury.

Chris Grayling: The Department plans to realise substantial efficiency savings over the period of the spending review through measures which will deliver both savings and improved customer service, as well as focussing its resources on key reforms of the welfare system such as the introduction of universal credit. These plans include a reduction in the size of the corporate centre by up to 40%, and parallel measures to reduce the costs of benefits processing by 25% through streamlining and modernising frontline activities. These measures include, for example, shifting from paper to digital based services and sharing information more efficiently within and between Departments. Specific actions to improve the efficiency, ease and speed of the Department's frontline activities are included in the business plan.
	The Department will also make further efficiencies through its estates and IT strategies, and works closely with the Cabinet Office Efficiency Reform Group to drive down the costs from its other major suppliers.

Ministerial Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Duncan Smith)
	Championed the voluntary sector throughout his six years as Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice and continues to be involved with a number of charities, including as a patron.
	Minister  for Employment  (Chris Grayling)
	Patron for the Forces Children's Trust.
	Minister for Welfare Reform (Steve Webb)
	Volunteers at a local Sunday school every week and is a patron of several local charities.
	Minister for Disabled People (Maria Miller)
	Undertakes a volunteer session on the first Saturday of each month. This volunteer session is called the Speak Easy Advocacy and helps people with learning disabilities, autism and Aspergers, by offering guidance and advice over tea and coffee.
	Minister for Welfare Reform  (Lord Freud)
	Sponsor and board member of the charity “Grand Mentors”. This is a charity where mainly older retired people mentor and tutor young individuals.

Disability: Public Transport

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to provide financial assistance to disabled people who are unable to use public transport to travel to work.

Maria Miller: The Access to Work scheme can pay for additional travel costs that arise as a result of a customer's disability or health condition in the form of a reimbursement grant. Disabled people who are unable to use public transport to get to work can use Access to Work to fund a support worker driver or to pay taxi fares.
	People with long-term disabilities may receive disability living allowance or attendance allowance, which provide a contribution towards the extra cost of disability. Recipients are free to spend the money in a way that best fits their circumstances, including on transport costs.
	In addition, people in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or war pensioner's mobility supplement, provided they have at least 12 months remaining of their award, may choose to exchange all or part of that component to lease a vehicle from Motability, an independent charity.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many private sector landlords have agreed to reduce rents in return for an arrangement that housing benefit be paid direct to them (a) in Edinburgh, (b) in Scotland and (c) nationally since 1 April 2011.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the weekly level of jobseeker's allowance was in real terms in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the level of the allowance in each of the next five years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Real value of jobseeker's allowance at date of uprating (£ per week, April 2011 prices, using Consumer Prices Index) 
			  Single Couple 
			 April 2000 66.16 103.86 
			 April 2001 66.45 104.28 
			 April 2002 66.65 104.58 
			 April 2003 66.54 104.41 
			 April 2004 66.99 105.10 
			 April 2005 66.37 104.10 
			 April 2006 66.51 104.31 
			 April 2007 66.64 104.55 
			 April 2008 66.20 103.89 
			 April 2009 68.76 107.96 
			 April 2010 67.48 105.94 
			 April 2011 67.50 105.95 
			 April 2012 (forecast) 67.49 105.94 
			 April 2013 (forecast) 67.51 105.93 
			 April 2014 (forecast) 67.50 105.95 
			 April 2015 (forecast) 67.52 105.97 
			 April 2016 (forecast) 67.51 105.95 
			 Source: DWP Annual Abstract of Statistics, 2010, and Office for Budget Responsibility Economic and Fiscal Outlook, March 2011

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency (a) under the age of 24 and (b) over the age of 50 have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking; how many people in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency (a) under the age of 24 and (b) over the age of 50 have been in receipt of Jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months. (77260)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	In September 2011 the number of people resident in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland claiming JSA for more than 52 weeks under 24 years old was 90. The number claiming JSA for more than 52 weeks over 50 years old was 100.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the potential number of Remploy employees who will find new employment under his proposals.

Maria Miller: At present no estimate has been made of the potential numbers of Remploy employees who will find new employment. This is because no decision has been made on the future strategy for Remploy and its operations continue as normal.
	Following the outcome of the recent consultation, should the Government decision support implementation of the Sayce recommendations or alternative commercial proposals, then the Department will put in place a commercial strategy, and Remploy staff will receive professional support and advice to consider the options open to them.
	It will take time to analyse the consultation responses in detail and carefully consider the implications for future policy. We will publish a summary of responses received and a statement on future policy as soon as practicably possible.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has invested in Remploy factories in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Total GIA EB 
			 2005-06 119.3 (1)— 
			 2006-07 133.8 (1)— 
			 2007-08 145.8 95.7 
			 2008-09 121.5 71.3 
			 2009-10 122.4 63.3 
			 Total 642.8 (2)— 
			 (1 )Not known. (2 )Not available. 
		
	
	The total grant in aid funding paid to Remploy in the UK over the past five years for which data are available was £642.8 million. This relates to the whole of Remploy's operations, covering the Enterprise Businesses and Employment Services arms of the company.
	For 2005-06 and 2006-07 the only figures available relate to the total amount of funding paid to Remploy. From 2007-08 onwards it is possible to separate out the funding for Enterprise Businesses, but this does not cover apportioned costs from Central Support Services, so underestimates the total funding.
	It is not possible to separate out the funding for Scotland, Wales and England due to the way the businesses are split.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the additional benefits that would have to be paid to Remploy employees if they had not been in work for each of the last three years.

Maria Miller: It is not possible to provide any meaningful estimate of the additional benefits that would have had to be paid to Remploy employees if they had not been in work for each of the last three years, since the value of any benefits that Remploy employees may have been entitled to would depend on each individual's personal circumstances.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department has allocated for professional training and development of Remploy employees who are interested in setting up co-operatives, mutuals or social enterprises.

Maria Miller: At present no specific funding is allocated for professional training and development of Remploy employees who are interested in setting up co-operatives, mutuals or social enterprises. This is because no decision has been made on the future strategy for Remploy and its operations continue as normal.
	Following the outcome of the recent consultation, should the Government decision support implementation of the Sayce recommendations or alternative commercial proposals, then the Department will put in place a commercial strategy, and Remploy staff will receive professional support and advice to consider the options open to them.
	It will take time to analyse the consultation responses in detail and carefully consider the implications for future policy. We will publish a summary of responses received and a statement on future policy as soon as practicably possible.

Remploy

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Government procurement contracts have been awarded to Remploy in the last five years; and for what work.

Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
	Enterprise Business won 17 contracts with Government Departments in 2008-09 to 2010-11
	Covering IT recycling and document handling; furniture for offices, schools, colleges and universities; Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) protection suits for police forces; wheelchairs and orthotics products for hospitals and health authorities.
	Enterprise Business won 11 contracts with local authorities in 2008-09 to 2010-11
	Providing CCTV management and monitoring and IT recycling for local councils.
	Employment Services won 27 contracts with Government Departments in 2007-08 to 2010-11
	Including Flexible New Deal, Pathways to Work, New Deal for Disabled People. Work with ex-offenders and those preparing to leave prison; Wellbeing through Work programme in Wales to support employees with mental health problems; occupational skills and training for Scottish Government; skills and training support on a large number of local projects.
	Employment Services won 39 contracts with public bodies in 2007-08 to 2010-11
	Including local authorities, Further Education colleges and skills organisations (including Learning and Skills Council) delivering skills training and work experience opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people; working with local employers to support candidate groups in inner city and areas of high disadvantage who require specialist interventions.
	Note that it is not possible to provide information for Enterprise Business for 2007-08 as prior to 2008, the company was organised on a regional basis. The information is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has made any estimate of the cost implications of ending existing commercial housing benefit contracts early as a result of the introduction of universal credit; and whether his Department has any plans to pay compensation to (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) contractors in consequence.

Steve Webb: The Welfare Reform White Paper sets out that the Department for Work and Pensions will be responsible for organising the delivery of universal credit. It also states that we will continue to pay housing benefit to working age customers until we can migrate them successfully on to universal credit, currently expected to be by October 2017. We have yet to settle on the precise details of how the transition will work, and the effects on housing benefits staff. This approach will ensure an orderly transition and that we have people with relevant skills and experience to support claimants both in work and out of work, as they migrate to the new credit.
	We will continue to work with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities to test new ways of working and consider how, in the longer term, we can build on the best capabilities of current organisations to provide a consistently excellent service to claimants and ensure value for money. This work will also confirm whether and how TUPE will apply for those staff affected in all organisations.

Universal Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to pilot the universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will be introduced in October 2013, and individuals will be migrated to the new system over the subsequent four years. Experience of previous reforms and transformation programmes has shown that thorough operational testing is essential prior to a wide ranging implementation. As such we will deploy this ‘pathfinder' approach on the universal credit programme. We will do so in good time to ensure lessons learnt can be incorporated into wider implementation plans and delivery processes.
	Additionally, as part of the work to build the new system, claimants are being engaged in its design through frequent sessions in which they are asked to respond to both high level design thinking and detailed service design. There will be significant levels of testing specifically focused on ensuring that the various components work effectively together, including realistic business testing.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 627W, on the electoral register, what assessment he has made of the Electoral Commission's forecast for registration rates following the implementation of his proposals for individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission have made no forecast of registration rates following Individual Electoral Registration (IER). In their evidence to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee they speculated about a worst case scenario based on only those turning out to vote at elections registering to vote. The Government do not share this view.
	The Government are committed to maintaining registration rates during the transition to IER. We have learnt from the experience in Northern Ireland and are phasing in IER over two years from 2014, putting in place a safeguard for the 2015 General Election so that existing electors who fail to register under the new system in 2014 are not disenfranchised. We are trialling data matching this year to see if it will help to get more people onto the electoral register. We are looking at how we can modernise the system of electoral registration by opening up new channels for registration which will also make it easier and more convenient for individuals to register to vote.
	We are also working with the Electoral Commission to plan publicity around the transition which ensures that people are well informed about the change, and we are also working closely with a range of groups representing those at risk of falling off the register during the transition, to ensure the system is designed in the best possible way to meet their needs.

Lobbying

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2010, Official Report, column 321W, on lobbying, what the reasons are for the time taken in publishing plans for a statutory register of lobbyists.

Mark Harper: The coalition agreement made clear that we will regulate lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists and ensuring greater transparency.
	We remain committed to creating a statutory register of lobbyists and will publish a consultation paper next month.
	This is a complex area, and we believe it is appropriate to consult widely on the form and content of a register before publishing draft legislation.

Lobbying

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which external organisations he has consulted on proposals for a statutory register of lobbyists.

Mark Harper: The Government publish details of Minister's meetings with external organisations routinely. The Cabinet Office publishes this data online at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Automotive Industry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the viability of the UK automotive industry.

Mark Prisk: The UK automotive sector is strong and growing. Production was up by 7% (in September); exports stand at over 75% of output; and planned recent new investments by BMW, Ford, JLR and Nissan total over £2.5 billion.

Advantage West Midlands: Wolverhampton

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what representations he has received from Advantage West Midlands on the (a) i54 site, Wolverhampton and (b) the potential location of Jaguar Land Rover's new engine plant at the i54 site since his appointment;
	(2)  when the land for the i54 site, Wolverhampton was acquired by Advantage West Midlands;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the (a) funding and (b) time allocated by Advantage West Midlands to remediating the i54 site, Wolverhampton (i) before and (ii) after the announcement of the abolition of the regional development agencies;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the role of Advantage West Midlands in negotiations with Jaguar Land Rover on locating its new engine plant at the i54 site, Wolverhampton.

Mark Prisk: BIS officials are in regular contact with the regional development agencies (RDAs), including Advantage West Midlands (AWM), on a range of matters and issues, and these may include matters relating to individual project issues like the i54.
	The land for the i54 site in Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire was progressively acquired between 2002 and 2007 by AWM, working with a range of local partners including Wolverhampton city council. The site transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) on 19 September under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. AWM has been involved in the remediation and wider site works which have been under way since the initial acquisition of the site in March 2002, including securing outline planning permission for the site. AWM spent £52 million out of a BIS approval of £64 million up to the point of the announcement to abolish the RDA. A further £4.5 million was earmarked for additional remedial works between the announcement of the abolition of the RDA and the site's transfer to the HCA.
	I have not made an assessment of AWM's role in negotiations with Jaguar Land Rover which resulted in the company's decision to locate its new engine plant at the i54 site. The decision by Jaguar Land Rover to locate its engine plant at the i54 site in Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire was facilitated by a range of national, regional and local stakeholders.

Apprentices

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made in achieving the Government's objectives for apprenticeships.

John Hayes: This Government are committed to expansion of its flagship apprenticeships programme. The Statistical First Release published today demonstrates fantastic growth and a record year for apprenticeships. Provisional data for the full 2010/11 academic year show 442,700 starts and completions reaching 171,500.

Apprentices: Manufacturing Industries

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the 100,000 apprenticeships he proposes to create he expects to be within the manufacturing sector.

John Hayes: The apprenticeship programme is demand led. Government do not set targets for apprenticeships but provide funding and forecast the overall number of places that may be afforded. Apprenticeships are paid jobs, we rely on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand.
	In the last five years 180,000 people started an apprenticeship in engineering and manufacturing technologies. With current initiatives such as the expansion of advanced and higher apprenticeships, and increased funding announced in the 2011 Budget, we hope to expand this further.

Business: Recruitment

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the estimate contained in the British Chamber of Commerce Workforce Survey—Micro Businesses, that one in two micro businesses found it difficult to find the right people to fill their vacancies; and what steps he plans to take to assist such businesses.

John Hayes: holding answer 25 October 2011
	The 2009 National Employer Skills Survey identified that small businesses tend to have a higher proportion of total vacancies that are skills shortage vacancies. That is why the Department has launched a number of targeted measures to support smaller businesses to recruit new employees and upskill existing employees more easily.
	This includes improving the information and guidance for small businesses on businesslink.gov, including how to access skills support. In addition, we fund a leadership and management programme for senior leaders of small to medium size enterprises to help them develop their own personal leadership and management skills so they are better able to create a high performing, innovative workplace and to improve the skills of their work force.
	This Government are also taking action to make it easier for small businesses to take on apprenticeships. As well as increasing funding to deliver some 360,000 apprenticeships this year, the Government have introduced new quality standards, cut red tape and boosted the number of advanced level apprenticeships to deliver the skills employers need to drive growth.

Business: Regulation

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made in reducing the burden of regulation on businesses through the Red Tape Challenge.

Vincent Cable: While some regulation is necessary, excessive regulation creates an unacceptable burden, on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular. The Government are tackling this problem through the Red Tape Challenge. So far this exercise has looked at 378 regulations relating to the retail and hospitality sectors and we have already announced plans to remove or simplify 220 of these—that is more than half. All regulations affecting business will be featured on the website on a rolling basis.

Common Customs Tariffs

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has estimated the potential additional custom administration costs to UK businesses exporting goods or services to EU member states if they were required to pay the EU external tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: No estimate has been made. There is uncertainty as to what tariff UK exporters to the EU would face if the UK were not a member of the European Union.
	At worst, UK businesses could be forced to pay the most favoured nation tariff to export goods to the EU. In 2009, the simple average EU MFN tariff was 5.3%. But it is possible the UK would be granted some form of preferential access, whereby UK business would pay less than the full MFN tariff. In either case, tariff payments would also depend on the precise pattern of trade in any given year. In addition, estimating the extra administrative burdens associated with completing customs declarations, claiming preferential tariff treatment or other non-tariff costs of exporting goods and services to the EU could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Companies: Annual Reports

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the quality of companies' narrative reporting under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006;
	(2)  if he will assess the effect on the economy of levels of low quality, unverified and incomplete disclosure in companies' narrative reporting.

Edward Davey: I am currently consulting on changes to the narrative reporting framework to simplify the framework and improve the quality of company narrative reporting. I would be happy to consider any specific points that the hon. Member wishes to raise as part of the consultation.

Companies: Annual Reports

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what enforcement measures his Department has taken to ensure that UK companies abide by the reporting requirements contained in the Companies Act 2006;
	(2)  what external assessment mechanisms are in place to ensure the (a) validity, (b) veracity and (c) completeness of information provided in the annual reports of UK companies.

Edward Davey: The primary responsibility for the validity, veracity and completeness of the information in the annual reports of UK companies rests with the directors. Shareholders should also be actively engaged in holding directors to account.
	For larger companies, external auditors will express an opinion on whether the annual accounts give a true and fair view; have been properly prepared in accordance with the relevant financial reporting framework; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. The auditor must report on whether in his opinion the information given in the directors' report is consistent with those accounts. Statutory auditors are themselves independently monitored.
	In addition listed companies are covered by the Listing Rules, made by the UK Listing Authority.
	The Financial Reporting Review Panel proactively reviews a sample of public company and large private company accounts for compliance with the requirements of the Companies Act. Where there is, or may be, a question of non-compliance, the panel engages with companies with a view to seeking corrective action where necessary. In addition, both the panel and Companies House respond to concerns raised. Where appropriate the Secretary of State for Business, Information and Skills can use powers under the Companies Acts to conduct confidential, fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies anywhere in the United Kingdom.
	Official receivers and insolvency practitioners are required to investigate the circumstances of failure of companies and establish why they have become insolvent. This could uncover evidence of inappropriately prepared reports and accounts.
	Directors of limited companies are required to deliver accounts and reports to the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Act 2006. If a company fails to deliver its accounts and reports by the appropriate date all persons who are directors of the company immediately before the end of the reporting period are guilty of an offence; unless they can prove that they took all reasonable steps to comply with the requirements before the end of the period. Companies House send reminder letters and e-mails before accounts become due to help companies comply with their filing requirements. If companies fail to file on time, Companies House commences enforcement action, which can ultimately result in the prosecution of directors. When a company delivers accounts late, an automatic civil late filing penalty is imposed. The latest figures show (September 2011) that over 92% of active companies deliver accounts on time and 99% of active companies have an up to date set of accounts filed at Companies House. These are among the highest compliance rates of any company registry in the world.

Companies: Annual Reports

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Reporting Review Panel in assessing the (a) quality, (b) validity and (c) completeness of the content of non-financial reporting in annual reports required by the Companies Act 2006.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) has every confidence in the effectiveness of the Financial Reporting Review Panel.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Davey: There has been no spend on hospitality for events hosted by BIS Ministers during this period. The following amounts refer only to the cost of refreshments at meetings:
	
		
			  £ 
			 October 2010 0 
			 November 2010 31.50 
			 December 2010 to June 2011 0 
			 July 2011 35.35 
			 August 2011 26.60 
			 September 2011 67.30

Ministerial Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Edward Davey: BIS Ministers are committed to participating in the One Day Challenge. A decision on the disclosure of related activities will be made in due course.

Design: Curriculum

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on retaining design and technology within the curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: We exchange views regularly and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), is well aware that design and technology are crucial to the Growth Review.

Flexible Working

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had on his proposals for maternity and paternity leave and flexible working.

Edward Davey: The Modern Workplaces consultation ran from 16 May to 8 August 2011 It outlined the Government's proposals to introduce a system of flexible parental leave and extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, following the coalition commitments.
	During the consultation, discussions were held with various groups representing business, unions, parents, children and charities. We intend to publish our response early next year.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when he plans to announce the Government's investment priorities for the Green Investment Bank;
	(2)  when he expects to establish the governance framework to set the strategic priorities for the Green Investment Bank;
	(3)  when he plans to publish (a) identified objectives, (b) identified areas of focus and (c) budgeted costs associated with increasing the capital for the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), will update the House on these and other issues associated with establishing the Green Investment Bank later this year.

Green Investment Bank: Operating Costs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the running costs of the Green Investment Bank in each of its first five years; and how these costs will be met.

Mark Prisk: We will establish an institution which is effective and affordable. We are still in the process of scoping the strategic priorities and finalising the cost estimates.

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he intends to bring forward the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: We aim to introduce a Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Insolvency

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of holding a consultation on preventing ransom payments being charged by suppliers in insolvency cases.

Edward Davey: The Government have previously announced that we would consider the case for updating section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 and the wider issue of termination clauses. My officials at the Insolvency Service are currently looking into the merits of any change and the options that could entail, and have been discussing with various interested parties. We will then decide how to proceed.

Non-domestic Rates

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on economic growth and jobs in (a) the retail sector and (b) other sectors, if business rates are not increased in 2012.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	Business rates are annually uprated by retail prices index inflation. The Government keep all taxes under review.

Nuclear Power: Storage

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Research Councils UK Energy Programme has allocated for research on the storage and containment of nuclear fuel in the last year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: In the current financial year, Research Councils UK Energy Programme funding on research for the storage and containment of nuclear fuel amounts to £6.75 million.

Nuclear Reactors: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 278W, on nuclear reactors: research, what proportion of total energy research expenditure by the Research Councils UK Energy Programme the £23 million spent on the next generation of nuclear reactors represents.

David Willetts: The current Research Councils UK Energy Programme portfolio totals £658 million. The £23 million represents 3.5% of this total.

Skilled Workers: Wind Power

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the number of people with skills in the wind turbine industry.

John Hayes: A skilled workforce is vital to the green economy. As we set out in the skills strategy, we have made sure employers can identify and articulate their green skills needs within the skills system. That is supported by investment of £3.9 billion to deliver skills and training this year, a commitment for over 360,000 Apprenticeships, and funding for projects through the Growth and Innovation and Regional Growth Funds.

Social Mobility

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve social mobility; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Department worked closely with the Cabinet Office and other Departments to produce the Government's Social Mobility Strategy in April 2011. This strategy set out our overall approach for tackling social mobility and provided details of the specific steps that the Department would be taking to support this.
	Investing in people's skills through education and training is a key driver of improved life chances. That is why we are committed to establishing clear career progression routes built on well-respected vocational qualifications and our expanded Apprenticeships programme is at the heart of this: funding in financial year 2011/12 will increase to over £1.4 billion; we will increase the quality of apprenticeships through new national standards; and, the Access to Apprenticeships pathway will benefit up to 10,000 vulnerable young people aged between16-24. The National Career Service, to be launched in April 2012, will help people to find the most appropriate route to suit their personal needs.
	For some people, entering the labour market and progressing can be a huge challenge and they need substantial help and guidance to develop their skills acquisition and progress to sustainable employment with prospects. Our reforms to further education, published in our Skills for Sustainable Growth strategy and in the New Challenges, New Chances consultation, mean that funding of further education and training is fairer by refocusing it on those that need it most. My Department is working with DFE and DWP on the Participation Strategy, which will be published in November and set out how we intend to maximise the number of young people in education training and employment. In addition, our commitment to Informal Adult and Community Learning can provide the initial stepping stone people need to further.
	Our reforms to promote fairer access to higher education were set out in the White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System” (June 2011). To help make progress in the numbers of young people entering higher education from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in particular to the most selective universities, we are establishing a new framework, which places more responsibility on universities and colleges to widen participation. Universities and colleges that charge more than £6,000 for tuition will need new access agreements that demonstrate to the satisfaction of the independent Director of Fair Access what more they will do to attract and retain students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups. They will also need to participate in the new National Scholarship Programme from 2012 and provide matched funding.
	Further information on the specific commitments, milestones and success indicators are provided in the Social Mobility Strategy.

Supermarkets: Competition

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the role and powers of the proposed groceries adjudicator.

Edward Davey: I have received a wide range of representations on the role and powers on this subject. There were 60 respondents to the formal 2010 consultation divided as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Trade bodies 21 
			 Individuals 14 
			 Large retailers 10 
			 Non-governmental organisations 4 
			 Government bodies 3 
			 Religious groups 3 
			 Charities 2 
			 Suppliers 2 
			 Legal 1 
		
	
	Additionally, BIS officials and I have met a range of interested parties to discuss this subject.

Technology Strategy Board

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, column 1154W, on the Technology Strategy Board, where the Technology Strategy Board met on each occasion that it met outside Wiltshire.

David Willetts: The 27 meetings of the TSB's Governing Board that have been held outside Wiltshire have been held at the following locations:
	London (19 times)
	Marlow (Buckinghamshire)
	Brackley (Northamptonshire)
	Brussels
	Oxford
	Babraham (Cambridgeshire)
	Edinburgh
	Guildford (Surrey)
	Newport Pagnell (Buckinghamshire)
	London has been used as a location most often due to its transport links and easy access for the governing board members.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since 1 June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: I understand the hon. Member to mean civil society organisations.
	The Department does not separately identify ‘civil society organisations' so therefore cannot provide a response without incurring disproportionate costs.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much it plans to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Department does not separately identify “civil society organisations” so therefore cannot provide a response without incurring disproportionate costs.